Dominance
by AshtheBlueEyedPoet
Summary: She's an Alpha with no pack, hunting down the pack who killed her family. So when Lyra Peterson arrives to Beacon Hills, stumbling across yet another Alpha is the last thing on her mind. What will happen when the Alphas face off? Derek & O/C
1. Prologue

_**~She's an Alpha with no pack, hunting down the pack who killed her family. So when Lyra Peterson arrives to Beacon Hills, stumbling across yet another Alpha is the last thing on her mind. What will happen when the Alphas face off? Derek & O/C~**_

Prologue:

_They were all dead. My family, my entire pack, gone. _

_Another pack had attacked my family while I had been out running with my sister, Abigail, on one cold evening. I had sensed the attack, I heard my family's cries and my father's desperate calls as I flew through the forest towards my home. Abby was sobbing as she ran next to me, and I knew she heard the screams too and understood what was happening._

_When Abigail and I burst into the clearing where our home was, we came across a terrifying sight. Our family; brothers, sisters, cousins, were all lying still in the grass, covered in blood. I looked over and saw my father engaging another werewolf, an Alpha with glowing red eyes, before suddenly another wolf attacked him from behind._

"_Dad!" I screamed as he collapsed to the ground. His eyes were still open, staring blankly up at the moon._

_Soon following the deep sense of dread and loss flowed in a new, intense feeling. It spread in my veins, filling me with electrifying power and strength._

_Abigail had watched in horror as I screamed and fell to the forest floor before my eyes changed from the Beta's gold eyes to the hellish red color of the Alpha. Before she could scream, a clawed hand shoved through her back and ripped out her heart._

_I watched as my baby sister's golden eyes widened in shock before changing to her normal baby blue eyes that quickly glossed over as her body collapsed to the ground. The werewolf who had killed my sister chuckled darkly before licking his hand._

"_Your turn, my dear," said the Alpha as he turned his own red eyes to mine. I snarled furiously. How many Alphas were there?_

_Rage filled me so quickly, like a broken dam, overpowering any pain or sadness I felt. In a second, I shifted into a full wolf and roared, before slashing at the wolf with my claws. They swiped across his face, gouging his eyes and he roared loudly in pain and anger. The bigger wolf fell to the ground, covering its eyes as I turned to the other Alphas. _

_Without a backwards glance, I attacked the other wolves, before finally realizing I was outnumbered and fled into the woods. I ran and ran and ran. The other werewolves didn't pursue me as I flew through the dark trees with tears streaming down my blood and dirt covered face._

_I could never return home to the quiet mountains of Colorado. I fled into the night, chased only by the horrifying thoughts that plagued my mind._

_At the age of 18, I lost my family and home and became a packless Alpha. I had nothing._

_Three years later,__ I found myself in a completely different place from where I thought I would be. I lived on my own, jumping from town to town, take a job here and there, surviving with the bare essentials._

_My days were filled with tracking down the bastards who had killed my family. After that night here years ago, I swore I would get revenge on those who took away what was precious to me. I had followed this pack- an Alpha pack- in their journey from Colorado to Montana to Oregon. Now they were heading into California, as if on a mission._

_I learned how to be ghost, how to cover my tracks and how to disguise and hide my scent. I became stronger, but there was a limit to my strength since I had no pack. Wandering Omegas often crossed paths with me or the Alpha Pack, and they were…taken care of._

_I never killed an Omega or another wolf. I drove them out and away by asserting my dominance over them. The Pack however, had different tactics. They had a knack for kidnapping stray wolves and torturing them, just for the fun of it. It was sickening to watch and I always hated how I could not help without making myself known._

_I knew I would find a way to destroy them all. I had my allies that I made in my journeys, those who knew of the Alpha Pack and reason to fear them as well. _

_As the year went by, the Pack seemed o be sniffing out a new trial. Something had caught their attention in California and it looked like they were going after it._

_One night, I lost their trial for the first time in years. I searched and searched but could not find their scent trial or any signs of their departure. I went with my instincts and continued my way more south, still in the northern range of California where there was more wooden areas. I doubted the Alphas wanted to go down to San Diego and work on their tans._

_Frustrated with myself, I kept looking and kept my ears open for any rumors of the Alpha Pack. I wouldn't stop until each and every one of them was dead._

Ooo0ooO

_I lost half my pack._

_What kind of Alpha did that make me?_

_I had lost two of my wolves, which had been kidnapped by the Argents and held hostage in their family home by that old tyrant, Gerard. But Erica and Boyd had kept their loyalties with me, not giving up my location despite being tortured by the town hunters._

_But soon after I had given Gerard the bite and Jackson become an actual werewolf, Chris Argent had let them go._

_Last I heard they disappeared into the forest and never returned. They didn't leave any notes or calls. It was as if they had disappeared from the face of the Earth._

_After Jackson had turned from that lizard creature to a full fledged wolf, I had offered him my help, even a spot in my pack. Jackson, being Jackson, told me that he'd give Derek an answer when he felt like it. Despite him being a jackass, he had asked for my help with controlling his wolf. Then, after a month, shipped himself off to London. _

_Gerard Argent was still in the wind but I was not too worried about him at the moment. When I was forced to bite the twisted sociopath, I immediately saw that the man's body rejected the bite- hence him puking up black blood. Gerard had hoped the bite would heal the cancer that had been slowly killing him but appeared to be doing the complete opposite. I had Scott to thank for that, however, since he had hatched the plan to give Gerard crushed mountain ash pills instead of his usual medicine._

_And now, on top of all this, someone new was in town. And they didn't smell like an innocent group of tourists wanting to find a home in the fucked up, werewolf infested town of Beacon Hills._

Ooo0ooO

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Here's my first Teen Wolf fanfic, which I'm hoping has caught your attention! I'm going to be posting the first chapter soon, where Lyra and Derek will meet for the first time, so stay tuned!**

**Let me know if you have any questions, and also what you think of everything so far!**


	2. The Arrival

Chapter One: The Arrival

(Lyra's POV)

What drew me here? What was it about this place that called to me?

I looked around at the trees, the hills, the streams and the stretch of sky that was Beacon Hills. The wind tossed my hair over my shoulder and made me draw my scarf tighter around my neck. The birds were calling in the distance and the squirrels were playing in the autumn leaves all around me. I sat on a large rock next to a small stream and inhaled the cool, pine scented air.

Another year had passed since I lost track of the Alpha Pack that had murdered my family, but I never stopped searching.

Finally, I found a remote house on the edge of the town called Beacon Hills. It was a little run down, one story cottage that sat in the edge of the woods with a dirt road that lead back towards the heart of the town. I decided after so many years on the road, I needed a home to return to, not a hotel room. So I made the little cottage my own, just shy of my 23rd birthday.

I sighed, thinking of how I had found my way to Beacon Hills through rumors circling the area. I wrinkled my petite nose as I thought of the things I heard on the news.

_Animal attacks, killings, people going missing, an array of other strange behaviors and occurrences… _I mused to myself. I brushed a stray lock of hair away from my face.

_That only seems natural in a place like this, considering the large stretch of woods. Perfect place for any sort of animal to hunt._ _Especially a couple of werewolves,_ I thought.

I got up and stretched before walking back towards my new home. Even if the rumors were true, I wasn't afraid. Why would I be? I might be alone, but I was still an Alpha regardless.

Besides, I wanted to scope out the new town.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

When I returned to the cottage, I went into change into warmer clothing. I slid on tight jeans, a thick violet sweater as well as sturdy boots and a leather jacket. I toyed with the necklace I always wore around my neck before sliding it underneath the sweater.

The night was creeping in when I reemerged and I inhaled the cool air. I walked down the dirt drive, pausing to eye the car I had stolen back in Oregon. It was a sleek, black Audi A4 with a black leather interior and darkly tinted windows. I shook my head, turning to head into the forest.

Wandering, I listened to the sounds of the night life around me. I heard the call of an owl, the flapping of bat's wings, and the distant shuffling of some smaller animal.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps running towards me from a distance. I turned and narrowed my eyes, using my sharper wolf vision to see more clearly in the dark. I inhaled deeply and froze, everything inside me bristling.

It was _them_. I could recognize that scent from anywhere. The Alpha Pack was here and they were close. Snarling under my breath, I took off into the trees.

When I came to a hill, I saw two teenagers sprinting through the trees as fast as they could. The male, who was tall and muscular, stopped, leaning against a tree. I was just far enough away so they didn't see me but I was not able to make out what they were saying. By the blonde girl's gestures, it looked like she was urging the boy on.

As I watched, the Alpha Pack slithered out of the shadows, forming a loose circle around the younger werewolves. I stepped halfway behind a tree, my lip curling in anger.

When the teenagers realized they were surrounded, it was too late. The Alphas unsheathed their claws and roared at them, making them cower in fear. One of them lunged for the blonde girl, who screeched when they yanked her away from the tall boy. He snarled terribly but was subdued when another Alpha punched him, knocking him unconscious. They dragged the teens away, with the girl screaming and crying.

I followed them, keeping to the shadows of the trees. I made sure to keep my footsteps as quiet as possible.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" I whirled around, snarling. The only female Alpha of the pack stood behind me, her claws out and eyes glowing red. I bared my fangs and growled fiercely.

"Let them go," I snapped. The female laughed.

"Are you going to stop us?" she taunted. I let my wolf surge forward and I half shifted, letting my claws grow and my eyes glow.

I lunged for the woman, slicing my claws through the air, tearing her chest. She howled with rage and tackled me down, sinking her teeth into my arm. I snarled and pushed her off of me, snapping my teeth at her.

With one quick movement, I turned myself to send the heel of my boot smashing into her cheek, causing her to spit up blood. She bared her fangs and slashed my face, opening my cheek up to the bone. I cried out and came up swinging, catching her under her chin, causing her to fly into the trunk of a tree.

Before I could lunge for her, a set of claws ripped into my back, lifting me up and throwing me through the air. I crashed into a tree, hitting my head, causing the wood to splinter. I gasped and felt my vision blur.

"Let's go," one of the Alphas hissed. I heard the teen girl cry out again as I struggled to get back on my feet. I stood on shaky legs and shook my head. When I looked around again, the pack had disappeared with the younger wolves.

"_Damn it_," I cursed, clenching my fists. I winced as my wounds started to heal slowly; I looked down at my torn jacket and saw the bite marks close. I hissed sharply as the claw marks in my back closed, causing a bolt of pain to shoot up my spine.

Disgusted with myself, I trudged back to the cottage. I couldn't fight the pack as a whole; I would have to take them out individually. Hating how defeated I felt, I growled the whole way home.

Once I was back, I tore off my clothes, throwing them into the hamper. I turned on the shower and stepped under the hot spray, washing away the dried blood and dirt from my skin. I looked down at my arm again and saw the bite marks were still there as angry red scars. I traced my fingers over it and clenched my teeth.

"Fuck!" I shouted, slamming my fist against the tile of the shower wall. The grout gave a little under my hand but I ignored it.

Snapping the water off, I dried myself off with a towel before putting on some loose cotton pants and a tank top. I collapsed on my bed, falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

When I woke up, the sun had just begun to peek its golden head over the horizon. I narrowed my eyes at the bluish pink sky and got out of bed.

Grabbing an apple from the kitchen, I began making myself some breakfast blend tea. As the water heated, I stood at the kitchen window, leaning against the counter and looking outside. The world looked quiet outside except for a few birds chirping in the trees.

I poured the hot water in a mug and dipped my tea bag inside, before adding in a few scoops of sugar. I sighed, holding the mug with both hands. I finished the apple, then the tea, before rising out the cup and putting it away.

I went back into my bedroom and looked around a little. I didn't have any decorations to brighten up the place really; I had just bought simple dark blue sheets and a matching comforter with two decent sized white pillows. There was a small nightstand and a dresser, with a small jewelry box on top, which served as the rest of the room.

The closet was a good size too, which I filled with some new clothes I had bought when I first began settling down here. I chose my outfit; jeans, a loose blue and purple flannel shirt and my hiking boots, along with some simple studs and my necklace.

I slipped the necklace over my head and studied it in the small mirror I had nailed to the bedroom wall. It was a simple silver chain, with a tiny, flat obsidian carving of a howling wolf. My father had given it to me for my eighteenth birthday, saying how the jewels used for the wolf's eyes matched mine. I frowned. That had been just a few weeks before he had died, yet the pain was still very fresh.

I finished getting ready, slapping on some makeup- just some mascara and blush- before heading back outside. I chose to head through the forest on foot again, unsure about drawing attention to my flashy toy that was still parked in front of the house.

I took a different path then I had last night, which lead me farther away from town and deeper into the woods. The sun was rising slowly and I let myself enjoy the nice morning.

When I came to a small clearing, I picked up an unfamiliar scent, one that I hadn't come across yet in my short time here. I followed it, curious and wary. But I stiffened when another scent trial overlapped this one. It was the Alpha Pack.

I inhaled deeply, not noticing how my claws instinctively became unsheathed. I jogged through the trees, tracking down the fresh scent trial.

When I heard the sound of male voices, I froze and hid myself. Peering around a tree, I spotted an old, graying house that looked like it had seen better days. Three males were approaching it. My spine bristled as I realized they were all werewolves. I wondered how many more here were in this town, and if they knew about the Alphas.

One of them was a tall, lean teenager with curly, light brown hair. He walked a little ahead of the other two, looking around. I glanced over at the others. They were obviously older; one looked like he was possibly in his thirties and the other, the one with black hair, looked like he was around my age.

I eyed the eldest at first, taking in his confident stride and nearly carefree demeanor. When my gaze shifted to the black haired wolf, I found myself stiffening again. I could tell by the way he moved, with an almost arrogant air around him, he was an Alpha. Were the other two apart of his pack?

He was tall and well built, with broad shoulders that tapered down to a narrow waist. His hair was a deep black and he sported scruff along his jaw, giving him an almost rugged look. Even from a distance, I could see his eyes, which were large and green.

My staring got interrupted by the tall teenager stopped abruptly in front of the house, causing the other wolves to freeze. The older wolf rolled his head towards the guy with black hair, giving him an annoyed, nearly exasperated look.

"You haven't told them everything yet, have you?" he asked. The younger werewolf turned to the others and gave them a confused look.

"What do you mean?" The older werewolf turned his gaze to the teen, cocking a brow at him.

"Why do you think Derek was in such a hurry to build his pack, so eager to strengthen his power in numbers?" The man stepped to the side, glancing down before looking back up. "When there's a new Alpha, people take notice."

I narrowed my eyes at that. Was the black haired guy named Derek then? Was he the new Alpha? I nearly gasped when I realized he must have been the reason why the Alpha Pack went down in California in the first place.

"People like who?" the teen demanded, looking at both men. His gaze suddenly shifted back to the door and he walked up the porch steps, pointing to the door. My hands clenched when I saw the black symbol painted on the old, chipped door.

"What is this? What does it mean?" The guy, Derek, shifted on his feet.

"It's their symbol," he replied. "And it means they're coming." I eyed him suspiciously. Did he know about the pack?

"Who?" the teen asked.

"Alphas."

"More than one?"

"A pack of them." The older guy stepped forward, crossing his arms.

"An Alpha Pack, and they're not coming, they're already here," he declared.

Not paying attention, I shifted to get a better look at the symbol, and a twig snapped under my boot. All three werewolves' gazes shot in my direction and I stiffened defensively as they spotted me.

I rolled my weight back, ready to bolt, but the guy Derek beat me to the punch. He appeared behind me, tilting his head at me, before grabbing my arm and yanking me out from my hiding spot. I struggled against his strong gasp.

"Who are you?" he demanded. I pinned him with a heated glare.

"I'm the girl who's going to help you with your Alpha Pack problem," I sated firmly, meeting his eyes steadily.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I stared at the girl in front of me with a mixture of surprise and wariness. Her stance was defensive and I could tell by her scent she was another werewolf, though one that wasn't from here.

I watched as she glared at me, taken back not only by the amount of contempt in them, but by their startling blue-violet color. They were large and dominated her face, surrounded by thick, long lashes.

"You're going to help us fight an Alpha Pack?" I asked doubtfully. "You're just a girl."

Suddenly, those eyes darkened into a deep red color as she bared a set of very sharp teeth at me. My eyes widened as I took an instinctive step back.

"I'm a girl who can kick your ass from here to Sunday if I wanted to," she shot back. Peter, who seemed to be unaffected by this, stepped by my side.

"You're an Alpha," he said slowly. The girl just nodded shortly.

"Then…where's your pack?" Isaac asked, looking around worriedly. The female Alpha pinned him with a glare.

"I don't have one," she said flatly. Her eyes met mine again, melting back to that blue-purple color. "Listen, I'm sure we can bond over sob stories later, but right now you guys need to get ready. I have been tracking this pack down and they're not bad, they're much more than that."

"Why have you been tracking Alphas?" Peter asked, crinkling his brow. The girl growled.

"They killed my family," she hissed. We all stilled, unsure of what to say. The girl shifted, obviously not happy with having to confess something so personal to complete strangers.

"Now that that's over with, can we move on? First off, what are your names? Are there more werewolves here? How many?" Peter took a cautious step forward, offering his hand to shake. The girl ignored it and Peter slowly drew it back.

"I'm Peter Hale, that's Isaac over there and this is Derek, my nephew," he said, clapping me on the shoulder. I ignored him, keeping my gaze attentive on the small Alpha in front of me. Her eyes met mine against and she stared back without an ounce of fear in her expression. She was very bold; I had to give her that.

"There's only a few others," Isaac said, stepping down from the porch. "We're just Betas. Derek is our Alpha… well except-,"

"Isaac," I growled. The female's eyes narrowed at my interruption.

"I'm Lyra," she said, her posture finally relaxing a little. She crossed her arms and I noticed how the heavy shirt she wore bagged on her lean, athletic frame.

"So Lyra," Peter began, shifting a little to face her. "How can you help us?"

Lyra turned her gaze to Peter and she slowly smiled.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

At first, Lyra didn't tell us much. It took a lot to get information out of her. She was very secretive and very defensive. Even Peter, with all his charisma and charm, couldn't even get a smile out of her most of the time.

Slowly, over the next few weeks, she told us how she tracked the Alpha Pack and what their habits were like. She told us about how she saw them take Erica and Boyd, warning us they might be dead and if not, they were probably being tortured in some hold in town. Isaac seemed upset by this, since they were his friends.

Peter and Isaac set off to find the missing werewolves, while I did everything in my power to keep the others from finding out they were in town. Chris Argent and his daughter had finally backed off after the incident with Gerard, which was a relief to me.

The only thing was bothering me was Scott. He still refused to join my pack, even though deep down I knew he wasn't meant to join my pack.

Then there was Lyra. In general, she seemed like a nice enough girl. I learned she was a year or so younger than I was and had been born into a werewolf family like me. She never went into detail about her family's death, all she said was she lost many loved ones and wanted to kill the wolves who had slaughtered them mercilessly.

She was unlike any girl I had met. She didn't worry about wearing a lot of makeup or dressing nice. I noticed she seemed to favor jeans and t-shirts. Her honey blonde hair was hardly down, since it was usually in some sort of twist or something girls do to keep it away from their faces.

As summer progressed, we learned to work together well. We ran into the Alphas from time to time, but were unable to take any of them out. So we strategized with Peter, deciding how to attack and when our best chances of succeeding were.

Lyra didn't necessarily become one of us, or at least part of the pack. She was still very distant, and even with her strength, I was surprised she didn't want to form a pack or become part of one to become even stronger.

I didn't have time to really dwell on these thoughts, since the Alpha Pack became more and more of a nuisance as time went by. By the time fall started arriving, they were spread out over town, causing trouble anywhere and everywhere.

Ooo0ooO

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thanks for all the encouraging reviews so far, I'm glad you like the story! Right now, the story is right at the beginning of Season 3. The next chapter will be part of the season premiere and yes, there will be more action going on between all the Alphas in Beacon Hills!**

**Please review and let me know your thoughts on the chapter and if you have any questions! **


	3. The Beginning

Chapter Two: The Beginning

(Lyra's POV)

After four months of helping Derek Hale try to find his pack, we still had nothing. Isaac, Peter, Derek and I ran our own patrols, searching every inch of the city. Sometimes we paired up, in case we ran into one of the Alphas. Most of the time I went with Isaac, since I was stronger than the Beta.

I worked well with any of them; Derek was always determined, if not impatient, Peter always kept the mood light with his charm and his sarcasm and Isaac grew on me in a younger brother sort of way. I taught them how to track better, how to look out for signs that the Alphas were near, and the Alphas habits and patterns.

I warned them they could hide their scent, which would make it tougher to find, and that was probably the reason I lost them some time ago.

I found myself spending a lot of time at Derek's new place, since the Hale house was no longer in his possession. We co-existed rather peacefully together and after some time I found myself staying overnight and for long periods of time. The cottage I had moved into no longer was practical, since it was far away from our searching grounds. Eventually, I took over one of the rooms that overlooked the lower parts of town, the industrial side. Peter made comments about this, which Derek and I ignored.

Whatever I felt when I was around Derek, I ignored. I didn't want any kind if distraction, especially that kind. He seemed to ignore me in the same way.

One night, I caught wind of the Alphas when I was patrolling alone. Peter and Derek were on the other side of town, checking the neighborhoods, when I came across the Alpha's scent. I recognized this scent as the twin Alphas, which were Pain in my Ass 1 and 2 in my book. But when I came across a pool of blood- Isaac's blood- I immediately called Derek.

"What is it?" he said when he answered. I sniffed the air, following the blood trial.

"The Alpha twins," I said. "And I think they got Isaac. I found his blood."

"Where are you?"

"Downtown, probably ten blocks from your place. Follow my scent, I'm going to find Isaac." I hung up quickly, sliding the phone in the back pocket of my jeans.

I began running down the street, keeping my footsteps swift and silent. In the distance, I heard the roar of a motorcycle then the unmistakable sound of a werewolf roar. My claws clicked down as my fangs extended. I growled and took off towards the sound.

The sounds of shattering glass took me down another alleyway and I came across an old warehouse. I saw the twins go through a hole in the glass and I spotted Isaac as he fell from a motorcycle, along with another person.

I darted forward, watching as the twins merged into one wolf. Then the other person- a girl- yelled at Isaac to get down. My stride haltered for a moment as she shot the giant Alpha with something that was powered with enough electricity to tear them apart.

Snarling, I leapt into the warehouse and kept Isaac's eyes. I saw he was badly injured but I turned my gaze to the twins. I slammed my claws into each of their chests, throwing them clear from the warehouse. With one last glance at Isaac, I went after them as they took off into the night.

They turned a few corners before whirling around, eyes glowing. They snarled viciously and I ran forward, using the wall as a jumping board to lunge at them. I tackled one of them to the ground, tearing my claws into him. He roared as the other grabbed me and threw me against a dumpster. I howled and suddenly, they were gone again.

"Lyra? Isaac?" I turned at the sound of Peter's calls. I winced as a few broken ribs healed themselves. Peter appeared by my side, holding me up.

"Derek?" I asked on a sharp wheeze as I fully healed. Peter shook his head.

"He took off after the twins when he saw them," he said. "Where is Isaac?"

The sounds of ambulance sirens cut through the air, causing Peter and I to look as they shot by. I groaned, resting my head back a little.

"They're going to pick up Isaac," I said. "He's badly hurt and just went through a wall of glass on a motorcycle."

"Well, that sounds like an eventful night," Peter drawled. I rolled my eyes at him, but let him help me up.

"Come on, let's get you back to Derek's to get you cleaned up." I huffed, narrowing my eyes at Peter.

"I'm fine. Just a little pissed we lost the twins." Peter shrugged.

"There will be other opportunities," he said easily. I shook my head a little.

"I guess," I muttered.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

When I found Lyra and Peter, I noticed how Lyra's shirt was torn and bloody. She looked fine except for the angry glint in her eyes that kept them almost a red-violet color.

"What happened?" she demanded when she spotted me. "Did you lose them too?" I sighed deeply, crossing my arms.

"They ducked through some old factories before I could catch up," I said. Lyra's jaw set as she growled softly.

"Let's get out of here. The sun is coming up, we can figure something out after we eat," Peter said.

"Fine," Lyra sighed, some of the tension leaving her shoulders. "But we have to do something about Is-,"

"He's fine, for now," Peter said, cutting her off. Lyra nodded before striding off. I raised my brows at her back, trying to ignore the twist I felt in my gut at the sight of her narrow hips swishing side to side.

"You know if she caught you staring like that…" I shot Peter a dirty look.

"Shut up," I snapped. Peter raised his hands in a gesture of peace but his eyes were filled with humor.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

When we returned to my place, Lyra was nowhere to be seen. I glanced up when I heard the creak of wood and saw Lyra leaping down the stairs. She landed easily on the balls of her feet before straightening.

She had changed her shirt, now she wore a casual v-neck t-shirt that was a deep plum color. I could see her necklace disappearing under the shirt, where it laid nestled between her… I shook my head, tearing my gaze from her.

I emptied my pockets on the table, setting my phone aside along with my keys. Peter made some noises about scrounging up something to eat as he headed into the other room.

Lyra moved across the room to perch on the windowsill, drawing her legs up against her body. She gazed outside and sighed. I opened my mouth, but was interrupted by Peter.

"Derek, all you have is a few bottles of beer and old pizza. How are you supposed to keep up your strength when all you eat is shit?" he asked sarcastically. I rolled my eyes at him.

"There's more in the cabinets, did you even bother to check there?" I asked. Peter frowned and I sighed, walking into the other room.

I heard the distant buzzing of a phone right moments before the main door slid open and slammed shut. Peter and I ran back out into the main room and saw Lyra was gone. I glanced over at the table and saw my phone had a bunch of missed calls- all from Melissa McCall.

"You better go after her," Peter urged. "She wouldn't have left so fast if she didn't think something was right." I nodded and left the place quickly, following Lyra's scent trial.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

When I saw the calls from Melissa McCall on Derek's phone, I knew something was up with Isaac. Derek had once explained to me how she worked at the hospital and how she recently found out her son, Scott, was a werewolf.

Without any hesitation, I went to the hospital. I entered through the sliding glass doors, and spotted a dark, curly haired woman talking to a tall teenager with matching hair. With one sniff, I knew he was a werewolf and I figured he was Scott.

Glancing up, I caught the scent of another, except this time it was an Alpha. I glanced around and saw the girl, Kali, slinking away. The taller man went off in the other direction, dressed as if he was prepping for surgery.

A sudden gust of wind from outside carried Derek's scent right before he placed a hand on my shoulder.

"What is it?" he demanded. I clenched my fists, trying to keep my claws hidden.

"At least two Alphas are here, Kali and the bald one. I think Scott's here too." I pulled away from Derek- ignoring him when he called out my name.

Taking the stairs, I bounded up them rapidly. I opened the door to the second floor and nearly collided with Scott.

"Whoa, sorry!" he exclaimed before pausing. His brown eyes went a little wide before we turned our heads to see the taller Alpha wheeling Isaac into the elevator. Scott's claws and fangs came out right away. I snarled.

Scott took off running and managed to leap into the elevator right before the doors closed.

"Fuck," I growled, whirling to the stairs again. This time when I opened the door, I ran into Derek, who grabbed my arms.

"What's going on?" he shouted. I snarled at him in warning before yanking myself free.

"They got Isaac, damn it, and Scott just went after one of them!" I took off towards the elevators and heard Derek following my closely.

The doors opened to reveal the Alpha gripping Scott by the throat, lifting him high into the air while the smaller Beta struggled to breathe.

"Don't you have any idea what you're dealing with?" the man snarled. "I'm an Alpha!" Derek stepped forward quickly, slamming his claws into the other Alpha's back.

"So am I," Derek said calmly before throwing him down the hallway. Scott looked up at both of us with his gold eyes, panting.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school?" Derek asked sarcastically. I went to Isaac, cupping his face.

"They drugged him," I hissed as Isaac's head lolled. I sniffed and could tell he was still injured, despite him appearing to be healed.

"They got him somehow. We have to find a way to heal him," I said, turning to look at Derek. He strode forward and lifted Isaac into his arms.

"I've got something that might help, back at the Hale house," he said. I shot Scott a look.

"You coming?" I asked. Scott's jaw dropped as he struggled for words. I rolled my eyes and began following Derek down the hall.

"Don't hurt yourself there," I muttered.

"Wha- wait! Wait, hold on, who are you?" Scott asked, scrambling after us.

"Derek, who is she?" Derek glanced over his shoulder as he carried Isaac out a back door of the hospital. As if on cue, Peter rolled up in his car. He rolled down the window and assessed us briefly.

"Get in," he ordered. I opened the door so Derek could lay Isaac down in the back. I climbed in, putting Isaac's head on my lap. I smoothed his brow with Derek swung into the passenger seat and Scott clamored into the back seat, awkwardly putting Isaac's feet on his own lap.

"I'm Lyra," I said as Peter took off. Scott looked at me curiously.

"Are you a friend of Derek's?" he asked. I shifted my gaze from Isaac to him.

"Of sorts," I replied.

"But you're an Alpha, right?" I nodded and Scott released a long breath.

"There are too many Alphas here," he muttered.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

When we reached the Hale house, Scott filled us in about the incident last night with the deer running into his friend's car. I narrowed my eyes at this.

"When I was going to the hospital, I saw a large group of crows flying away from the woods. Do you think it's because of the Alphas being here?" I asked. Peter and Derek stepped from the car. Peter opened Scott's door as Derek opened mine. I pulled myself out and watched Derek carrying Isaac into the house.

"Whatever it is," Peter said as he leaned against his car, "It's happening to almost every animal in town." I frowned at this before following Derek and Scott.

Scott was on the phone with someone as I entered the house. I couldn't help but smirk a little when he edged to the side when I walked past, keeping his gaze lowered.

Isaac was lying on the table, still unconscious from the amount of drugs pumping through his system. I went over to him and ripped part of my shirt off to dab at the sweat on his brow.

"You don't still live here, do you?" Scott asked. Derek went rummaging through the floorboards, gathering an odd looking plant.

"No, the county took it over. There's something here I need that will help heal a wound from an Alpha," he explained. Scott's brow furrowed.

"Yeah but it did heal," he said. I shook my head.

"Not on the inside," I said quietly. Scott glanced at me then Derek.

"Hey, are you going to tell me who that was back there? That Alpha?"

"The rival pack. It's my problem. Our problem," I corrected. I saw Derek look my way out of the corner of my eye.

"I know you want to help and you did, I owe you one. Now go home, go back to being a teenager," Derek ordered. Scott began walking away before pausing and rubbing his arm.

"Hey Derek, if you want to repay back that favor now, there is something you can do for me," he said, looking back at Derek, who arched a brow at him.

The front door suddenly burst open and yet another gangly teen ran into the room. His hazel eyes looked from me, to Isaac, to Scott then Derek before going back to me.

"What did I miss? Who is she? What's up with Isaac? Did something happen to him? Who's she?" I narrowed my eyes at the rapid fire questions and the teen clamped his mouth shut when he saw my glare.

"This is Lyra. Lyra, this is Stiles," Derek said as he stood. He turned to me briefly. I looked up and met his gaze.

"Give this to him," he said, handing me the plant. I recognized the scent and nodded, and then tried not to shiver as Derek's fingers brushed mine when he handed it to me.

"Now, what is it you want?" Derek asked, facing the teen boys again. Stiles raised his brows before glancing at Scott in confusion.

"A tattoo. I tried to get one last night but it healed. And I figured since you got one on your back, you'd know how to help me out," Scott said. Crushing the plant, I rolled my eyes. The kid obviously had no idea what he was signing up for.

"A tattoo," Derek repeated. "Seriously?" I chuckled at his tone which made Scott and Stiles glance my way.

"What?" Stiles asked. I simply tugged my shirt up to reveal the tattoo that lay across my ribs in a stylized script. It simply read "άλφα" in thick black ink.

"Let me guess, it means 'Alpha'?" Stiles asked, even as his eyes remained glued to the underside of my bra. I let the shirt drop in place.

"Very good," I said sarcastically. "But getting it was no parade." Scott and Stiles exchanged a look.

"Come on, you're going to want to sit down for this," Derek said, motioning to a chair. I went back to the plant, crushing it in a powder. With a single claw, I cut a line into Isaac's skin, right where I could make out his wound underneath. Carefully, I applied the powder into the wound and watched as it healed and closed.

When I finished, I turned to see Derek examining Scott's arm closely. His red eyes scanned Scott's upper arm.

"Yeah, I see it. Two bands, right?" he asked. "What does it mean?"

"I don't know…it's just something I trace with my fingers," Scott explained, tracing the mark in the dust.

"Why is it so important to you?" I asked curiously, walking over to stand next to Derek.

"Do you know what the word 'tattoo' means?" Scott asked.

"To mark something," Stiles said, winking at both me and Derek. I raised a brow at him.

"Yeah that's in Tahitian, but in Samoan it means 'open wound'. I knew I wanted to get a tattoo when I turned 18, I always wanted one, I just decided to get it now to make it a kind of reward."

"For what?" Derek asked.

"For not calling or texting Allison all summer. Even when I really wanted to, even when it was so hard to sometimes, I was trying to give her the space she wants. Though four months later, it still hurts. It still feels like a…ah…" he trailed off.

"Like an open wound," Stiles finished, nodding a little.

"Yeah," Scott said quietly. I watched as Derek picked up what looked like a mini flame thrower of sorts. I winced sympathetically.

"Pain's going to be worse than anything you've ever felt," Derek warned. I saw Siles make an odd face.

"Ah, that's…great," he mumbled.

"Do it," Scott urged. Derek ignited the flame and I moved over to Scott's side, knowing what was going to happen next.

"Oh wow," Scott said, eyes a little wide.

"That's uh... that's a lot for me, I'm going to take that as my cue. I'm just going to wait outside." Derek and I both grabbed Stiles before he could bolt.

"Nope," we said together, which got us an even odder look from both boys.

"You're going to help me hold him down," I continued. I grabbed Scott's arms while Stiles put his hands on Scott's shoulders hesitantly.

"Oh, my God…" Stiles breathed.

Bracing my feet, I watched the flames begin licking Scott's skin. The younger werewolf cried out, roaring in pain and shock. He shifted slightly and I tightened my hold on him.

"Hold him!" Derek and I said to Stiles.

After a few minutes, Scott passed out from the pain, covered in sweat.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

We waited for Scott to wake up as Lyra checked on Isaac. She said he appeared to be healing fully, as she looked over his torso with her red eyes.

Suddenly, Scott sat up, gasping. He glanced down at his arm and smiled.

"It worked!" he exclaimed. "Thanks!"

Scott and Stiles walked over to Lyra and Isaac, studying their prone friend. Scott asked how he was doing.

"Better," Lyra replied on a sigh. I noticed how she looked down at Isaac with a gentleness she never expressed to anyone. I shoved aside the sharp stab I felt, which I didn't want to even consider as jealousy.

The teenagers then walked to the front door, examining Scott's tattoo.

"Well, looks pretty damn permanent now," Stiles commented.

"Yeah, kinda need something permanent with everything that's happened to us. Everything just changes so fast… everything's so ephemeral," Scott said. I heard Lyra quietly snort.

"Studying for the PSAT's?" Stiles asked.

"Yep," Scott replied.

"Nice."

"Remember being that age?" Lyra asked under her breath, looking at me from under her lashes. I chuckled.

"Barely," I said dryly. Lyra's lips curved slowly as our eyes held each other's gaze. The moment was ruined when Scott spoke up again.

"You painted the door? Why did you paint the door?" he asked suspiciously. Lyra and I exchanged a look before I stood, eyeing Scott.

"Go home, Scott," I ordered.

"And why only on one side?" Scott asked. He unsheathed his claws and ran one down the door, taking away some paint. Then he began rapid scratching at the door, tearing the red paint away.

"Scott!" I shouted in annoyance, striding over him. Him and Stiles, however, were staring at the old black symbol on the door.

"The birds at school, the deer last night, it was like the night I got trampled by the deer when I got bit by the Alpha… How many are there?" Scott demanded. I sighed loudly.

"A pack of them. An Alpha pack."

"All of them? How does that even work?" Stiles asked. I sensed Lyra by my side and glanced down at her.

"I hear there's some kind of a leader. He's called Deucalion," she said.

"We know they have Boyd and Erica; Peter, Isaac, Lyra and I have been looking for them for the past four months," I finished. Scott furrowed his brow at us.

"So you find them…how do you deal with an Alpha pack?"

"With all the help I can get," I replied. This time both of the boys looked at Lyra, who cocked a brow at them. But when we heard Isaac groan, we all turned to look at him.

"Isaac!" Lyra exclaimed, stepping over to him quickly. She rested a hand on his shoulder and he looked at her with obvious relief before glancing around.

"Where is she? Where's the girl?" he asked. I looked at him with confusion.

"What girl?" I asked.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

Lyra managed to get Scott and Stiles to beat it before helping me get Isaac back to my place. Isaac seemed much better thanks to the plant and thanks to Lyra.

"What girl?" I repeated once we managed to get him onto my couch. Lyra sighed loudly.

"Let him rest, Derek. It's late and he's been through enough," she said, her voice soft but full of authority.

So we left Isaac to sleep as I followed her outside onto the large ledge right beyond the window. She sat down and I followed suit, resting my hands on my thighs.

"There's something you're not telling me, is there?" I asked. Lyra looked at me with her large blue-purple eyes before shrugging.

"I'm not sure if there's anything to tell. Last night when I found Isaac, he was with a girl. I think she helped him escape the Alpha twins, but I have no idea who she is or where she is now." I frowned.

"Why do you think the Alphas are so interested in Isaac?" I asked. Lyra's eyes darkened.

"They enjoyed kidnapping lone wolves. Often they kill them... after they torture them."

"Torture them how?" Lyra's lips thinned.

"They like to mess with your memories. They can change or take them away from you at their will, and I would guess that's what they did to Isaac a few times when he was out patrolling alone. There's no saying how much they made him forget." I considered this for a long moment.

"Any ideas how to get them back?" I asked. Lyra shrugged again.

"You or I could try something… it's a ritual I know and that they- the Alphas- use. I have never tried it before… I haven't met anyone apart from the pack who could." An idea formed in my mind.

"What about Peter? I'm sure he knows the ritual and he was an Alpha for a long time. He could do it," I said. Lyra's eyes gleamed in consideration before she grinned.

"That just might work," she said approvingly. "I'll call him in the morning."

I rose slowly and offered a hand to Lyra. She stood and suddenly we found ourselves inches apart, staring into each other's eyes. Hers met mine steadily, and I felt a tug of desire in my gut when I saw how close her lips were. I could just lean over and…

"Well," Lyra said, stepping back, giving me a weird smile. "I think I'll go to bed." I narrowed my eyes slightly and nearly smirked when I heard her heart beating at a faster rate than normal. At least I wasn't the only one picking up on the odd vibes between us.

"Good night," Lyra said quickly before ducking back inside.

I stayed outside for a moment longer, crossing my arms over my chest. A lot of thoughts buzzed through my head as I stared out over the horizon. The sun was setting and I saw the faint shadow of the moon in the sky.

I knew the full moon was nearing, again, and I had a feeling this one wasn't going to go too smoothly. This was only the beginning.

Ooo0ooO

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! I hope you're enjoying the story so far. Next chapter will be incorporated into the second episode of the season. Ready for more Alpha fights?**

**Let me know what you thought of this chapter!**


	4. The Hiding Place

Chapter Three: The Hiding Place

(Lyra's POV)

The night was filled with strange, vivid dreams. But I was glad the nightmares didn't come back. I hated feeling afraid to close my eyes at night only to open them to the scene of _that night_.

Instead, I woke up next to Derek and we were standing in front of the Hale house. We didn't say anything; we just passed the time in silence. When I woke up, I stared at the ceiling for a long time.

Rolling out of bed, I noticed it was just past dawn. I sighed, silently hating my natural alarm clock before I changed into a pair of yoga pants and a sports bra.

I went for a run around the block, wanting to keep up my strength and stamina. I enjoyed the cool morning air and clearing away the confusing thoughts in my head. I focused only on my breathing and the sound of my feet slapping against the concrete.

When I finished my run, I jogged back to Derek's for some yoga to cool down. I spread my mat in front of the large window, stretching out my quad muscles.

My phone buzzed as I went into the downward dog position and I saw Peter's name on the screen.

"Hey, Peter," I greeted.

"Morning. How is Isaac doing?" I glanced over to the vacant couch and frowned.

"I'm guessing he moved from the couch to crash in a spare bedroom," I said. "I was actually going to call you about him."

"Oh?"

"What do you know about memory rituals?" Peter sighed.

"I know it takes someone with experience to perform them correctly. Why do you ask?"

"Are you someone with said experience?" I asked.

"I might be. Are you asking me to go through Isaac's memories?" I rolled my eyes at Peter's tone.

"I might be," I shot back. Peter chuckled.

"Look, we got nothing," I said on an impatient sigh. "I'll owe you one, okay?" I could almost hear Peter's smug smile.

"Fair enough. I'll be over there later," he replied nonchalantly.

"Thanks, Peter," I said before hanging up. I bent over backwards, touching my hands to the floor. I sighed again as my muscles relaxed, only to tense again when the main door slide open.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

When I woke up, I heard the main door closing. Figuring Lyra was heading out for her morning run, I showered and got dressed to pick up some breakfast for all of us.

I swung by a McDonald's for Isaac and I before stopping off at the market to grab some things for Lyra. She had to be the only werewolf I knew that was vegetarian- except for an occasional steak during the full moon.

I got back to my place around 10 am. I opened the main door and stepped inside, before I froze in my tracks. Lyra was bending over in front of the window, doing some sort of yoga pose. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail that was falling down, and all she wore was a pair of tight, stretchy pants and a sports bra. I felt my gaze rake over her exposed skin, that smooth, tan, toned stomach and the bunching muscles in her arms and legs…

"Is that food I smell?" Lyra asked, looking over at me for her upside down position. I shook my head from my lusty thoughts and walked over to set everything down on the table.

"Egg McMuffins for the men, fruit salad for you," I said. Lyra laughed, kicking her legs from the ground, neatly bringing them over her head as she stood in one fluid motion.

"Such a gentleman," she teased, smiling. Her golden skin was dewy with sweat and her thick, honey hair fell out of its ponytail as she tugged the band away. I swallowed quietly before giving her a smirk.

"So I've been called," I replied dryly. Lyra snorted.

"Is that food?" Lyra and I looked up to see Isaac standing at the top of the stairs, eyeing the spread on the table hungrily. I shook my head at him.

"You and Lyra, two peas in a pod," I muttered. Isaac jumped down to give me a grin before wrapping an arm around Lyra's shoulders.

"Pretty awesome pod," he commented. Lyra laughed.

"Well, I'm going to shower before I eat. Don't wait up on me." She took a running start before vaulting herself up the stairs with ease. When she landed on the top, she gave Isaac and I a wink before sauntering off.

"Wow," Isaac said, blowing out a breath. I shot him a searing look.

"What?" I snapped. Isaac flinched at my sharp tone, his eyebrows beetling together.

"Dude, what's your deal?" he asked defensively.

"Nothing," I muttered, opening the McDonald's bag, trying to ignore the curious look Isaac was now giving me.

"You _like_ her," Isaac mused. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not a teenager like you, I don't get crushes." Isaac just raised a brow at me.

"Yeah, sure," he said, smothering his smug smile as he took a bite of food.

The sound of someone jumping caught my attention and I turned to see Lyra rising from a crouch to walk over to the table. She was dressed in her usual jeans and a flannel button up with the sleeves rolled past her elbows. Her hair was down for once, wet and wavy, streaming down past her shoulders.

A foot kicked me from under the table, causing me to jolt. I growled sharply at Isaac and he gave me an innocent smile.

Lyra ignored our antics and picked up the grocery bags, moving past us to head into the kitchen. I caught the scent of her shampoo- strawberries. I tried not to inhale deeply.

"_Dude_," Isaac whispered, laughing under his breath. I shot him another look and he quieted down, his eyes still dancing.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I listened to the boy's quiet bickering as I cut up the fruit Derek had bought me. I felt a small smile tugging at my lips. They obviously forgot that no matter how quiet they spoke, I would be able to hear them here. Voices sort of echoed in a place this large.

I mulled over how I felt about Isaac's "You _like _her" comment. I sighed, furrowing my brow as I rapidly sliced through a banana.

I liked Derek. He was a good leader, a strong Alpha. Sure he had his flaws with his impatience and his temper and his habit of acting quickly before thinking… but that was typical of Alpha males, if you asked me.

I knew Derek had suffered losing his family like I had. Peter had told me the story one night when we were patrolling together. I felt a tug of sympathy towards him, since I could tell it still affected him today, like it did me.

The one thing I admired about Derek was his courage. He had no problem walking into the line of fire if that meant saving his small pack. That showed the quality of a great Alpha, and I imagined as the years passed he would become one of the best. Despite him seeming to hate Peter, I had a feeling Derek secretly did like Peter, and even looked up to him. The two men balanced each other out.

But how deep were my feelings for Derek? I knew there was some strange tension between us at times, especially if we were alone. Last night was proof of that, when I felt the insane urge to kiss him before I chickened out.

Shaking my head, I picked up my bowl of sliced fruit and carried it into the main room. The boys were done, both of them sitting back in their chairs with satisfied looks on their face. I wrinkled my nose at the smell of grease but ignored it.

I kicked Derek's chair playfully, grinning as his head shot up, his eyes startled. With a smug smile, I sat down beside him, criss-crossing my legs on my chair. His eyes narrowed at me and I batted my eyelashes at him innocently.

"So, Isaac," I said, looking away from Derek. "We have an idea that we want to run by you." Isaac looked at me then Derek then me again.

"We have to get into your memories, even the ones the Alphas took away. There's a way to do that that I know of…but it's not going to be easy," I explained, calmly eating.

"What's the catch?" he asked warily. I looked up to meet his eyes.

"We asked Peter to do it. Since he's older and was an Alpha, he knows how to do this ritual. But we're only going to do through with this if it's okay with you." Isaac's eyes looked nervous, unsure.

"How risky is it?" I shook my head.

"I'm not entirely sure," I admitted. Isaac looked at me again.

"Is this the only way to figure out where Erica and Boyd are?"

"We don't know how much the Alphas took away from you memory-wise, so if there's a chance you saw or heard something that will help us find them, this is our best bet." Isaac ran a hand through his hair, sighing.

"Okay."

An hour later, however, Isaac seemed to be reconsidering his agreement. He paced in front of the big window, muttering to himself. Derek and I exchanged a few looks as we sat at the table.

"You know I'm starting not to like this idea. Sounds kind of dangerous. You know what, I definitely don't like this idea and I definitely don't like him."

"You'll be fine," I assured him.

"Does it _have _to be him?" Isaac asked, shooting Derek an anxious look. Derek sighed a little.

"He knows how to do it, I don't. It would be more dangerous if I tried doing it myself." Isaac then looked at me.

"Well what about you? You're an Alpha. You've been an Alpha longer than Derek has or Peter was, I think. Why can't you do it?"

"I have never done it before. I have only seen the Alphas do it for their own twisted pleasure," I said, stretching out my legs so they rested besides Derek's.

"You know Scott doesn't trust him right? Personally, well…I trust Scott," Isaac said. Derek glanced up at him.

"Do you trust me? Do you trust Lyra?" he asked. Isaac looked down at him then at me before sighing and leaning his hands against the table.

While Isaac was saying this, I caught the distant sounds of footsteps and knew Peter was walking up. I turned to say something but Isaac cut me off.

"Yeah…I still don't like him," Isaac muttered. I closed my eyes and tried not to smile as I heard the footsteps pause at the door, which Isaac and Derek were oblivious to.

"Nobody likes him," Derek replied humorlessly.

The main door then slid open and Peter stepped in. I bit down on my lip to prevent myself from hooting with laughter.

"Boys," he announced. He looked at me briefly. "Lyra."

"FYI, yes- coming back from the dead has left my abilities somewhat impaired, but the hearing still works, so I hope you're comfortable with saying whatever it is that you're feeling, straight to my face," Peter concluded as he stopped walking to stand in front of us.

"We don't like you. Now shut up and help us," Derek said, slamming his book shut and standing, crossing his arms. This time, I did laugh, clenching my stomach. Peter looked at Derek almost astonishingly, before cocking his head at me.

"Fair enough," he replied good-naturedly, flicking his hands so extend his claws.

"Aw," I said on a laugh, standing. I stood beside Peter, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, I like you, Peter. Don't listen to Tweedledee and Tweedledum." Peter chuckled.

"Who is who?" he asked on a stage whisper. I leaned in a little.

"Obviously Derek is Tweedledum," I replied. Derek growled a little.

"Are you two done?" he asked impatiently. I gave him a mischievous look.

"Never," I stated. Derek rolled his eyes at both of us. I stepped away from Peter and moved a chair away from the table. I motioned for Isaac to sit down in it, and he obeyed. I rested a hand on his shoulder lightly.

"Relax. I'll get more out of you if you're calm," Peter told him, taking off his jacket before approaching him.

"How do you know how to do this again?" Isaac asked suspiciously.

"It's an ancient ritual used mostly by Alphas, since it's a skill that requires quite a bit of practice…one slip and you can paralyze someone, or kill them," Peter said, moving to stand behind Isaac to examine his neck. Wincing, I moved over to stand next to Derek as he sat down again in his chair.

"Well, but you've had a lot of practice though, right?"

"Well I've never paralyzed anyone," Peter replied lightly, his hand tensing slightly.

"Wait, does that mean you-," Isaac was cut off when Peter's claws bit into his neck with expert precision.

Isaac immediately grabbed Peter's arm and struggled as Peter put Isaac into a headlock to keep him as still as possible. Peter's eyes glow a bright, electric blue as Isaac's flashed gold. Derek stood up in alarm and I grabbed his arm.

"Don't," I warned. Derek remained tense as he eyed his uncle and Isaac.

"Wait, I see them," Peter said roughly, his head snapping back oddly. He panted a little before he suddenly jerked back and away from Isaac. Isaac slumped in his chair as Peter paced a little, clenching and unclenching his hand. I strode over to Isaac quickly, crouching beside him.

"You okay?" I asked softly. Isaac glanced down at me and nodded, rubbing his neck a little. I rested a hand on his knee gently.

"What'd you see?" Derek demanded.

"Ah, it was confusing… ah, images…vague shapes," Peter said.

"But you saw something," Derek said. Peter's brows furrowed together.

"Isaac found them," he murmured.

"Erica and Boyd?" Derek asked. Isaac and I exchanged a look.

"I-I barely saw them, it was glimpses."

"But you did _see_ them," Derek said impatiently.

"And worse," Peter replied quietly. I looked up at him sharply.

"Deucalion," I said simply, eyes narrowing.

"He was talking to them, something about time running out…?" Peter said, half to himself as he paced.

"What does it mean?" Isaac said quietly. I squeezed his knee.

"He's going to kill them," Derek declared.

"No no no no, he didn't say that, he did make them a promise that by the full moon they'd both be dead," Peter explained.

"The _next_ full moon?" Derek and I asked together. Peter's head lulled a little to the side as he eyed all of us.

"Tomorrow night," he concluded.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

Peter, Isaac and I decided to stay at Derek's for the day, instead of doing our afternoon patrols. Derek was called away by Scott, who needed to see him at the high school for some reason.

I cooked them some food, just chicken and rice, while we waited to hear back from Derek. Isaac asked Peter about what else he saw and Peter explained to him, while I quietly listened, how this type of ritual as dangerous and was very difficult to do, especially for him since he was still so weak. I made a mental note to ask Derek how the hell Peter managed to come back from the dead before I pushed that thought aside.

While they ate, I got a call from Derek finally.

"What's up?" I asked as I answered.

"Nothing," Derek said flatly. "That was pointless. I'm going to head back now so we can figure out what else we can do before we head out tonight."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I asked, leaning against the window as I looked outside.

"What else are we suppose to do?" Derek snapped. I snarled sharply.

"Don't get snippy with me, Derek," I warned. "I can still kick your ass from here to Sunday if I felt like it." Derek just made a noise that sounded like a half growl-half snort before he hung up. I rolled my eyes when I saw Peter and Isaac staring at me.

"What?" I asked sharply, raising a brow. They both muttered "nothing" before ducking their heads to keep eating.

All of five minutes later, I got a call from a number I didn't recognize.

"Hello?" I answered warily.

"Lyra! It's Scott, Scott McCall. Listen, is Isaac with you?" I raised a brow.

"Yes, he is. Why?"

"I know someone that can help us with his memories. Can you meet us?" I looked over at Peter and Isaac.

Just then, the front door slid open and Derek stepped into the room. He walked over to me and jerked his chin at the phone, furrowing a brow. I glared at him briefly.

"Derek will take Isaac to you," I decided.

"Okay, okay tell Derek to meet me and Stiles at the vet's," Scott urged before hanging up. I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked up at Derek.

"Did ya get that?" I drawled. Derek nodded briefly before signaling Isaac to follow him as they walked to the door.

"Why the vet's?" I asked. Derek looked over his shoulder.

"Scott's boss knows about us. Werewolves. You and Peter stay here and try to figure something else out or go patrolling," he ordered.

Within a second, I was across the room, blocking Derek's exit. I glared at him, eyes blazing red.

"Remember, Derek, that you are not my Alpha, and you _certainly_ don't get to push me around. And remember I have been an Alpha longer than you, so I could take you out and do my nails at the same time," I growled harshly. Peter, who appeared beside me out of nowhere, rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Lyra, take it easy," he said calmly. "The moon is almost full and we don't need more bloodshed then there already will be." I relaxed, taking a deep breath.

"Sorry," I mumbled, shoving past Derek and looking at Isaac apologetically. I strode over to the window again, placing my hands in my back pockets, resting my forehead against the glass. I heard the door slid open then close again.

"What was that all about?" Peter asked. I sighed and turned to face him.

"The full moons are tough on any werewolf," I explained. "But sometimes they're harder on females." Peter frowned a little as he motioned for me to continue.

"Us females," I continued, walking back and forth, using my hands as I talked, "We also have heat cycles that corresponded with the cycle of the full moon- except it's not every month, but every three months. During the time, we are even _more_ vicious, stronger, bloodthirsty… any little thing will set us off."

"So are you…ah…?" Peter gestured vaguely with his hands. I gave him a humorous look.

"What do you think?" I asked sarcastically. Peter winced.

"And I thought human females on their menstrual cycle were bad," he muttered, shaking his head. I raised a brow at him.

"Didn't you have to deal with this with your family, before…" I mirrored his vague hand gesture. Peter nodded.

"Well, yes, but none of them were older Alphas," he said. I gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Don't worry, if I get the urge to kill someone, I'll make sure it's one of the Alphas. Or a deer, at least," I said. Peter gave me an easy smile before going to sit down on the couch.

My phone buzzed yet again and I saw it was a text from Derek.

_Going to need your help_, it read. I looked up at Peter.

"Looks like the boys need some help," I commented. Peter reclined his head back, folding his hands over his stomach.

"Have fun," he said dismissively. I laughed a little, shaking my head at him before grabbing a jacket I left by the door.

"No parties while we're gone," I teased before sliding the door shut.

"No promises," Peter muttered from behind the door.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I found the vet's office with ease, thanks to the lingering scent trials left behind from Derek, Scott, Stiles and Isaac. I smelled someone else in there with them, someone who wasn't like us, but who still had a rather curious scent. I put that aside for later.

I went in through the back and heard the sounds of sloshing water and Isaac's roars, which caused me to walk faster. When I entered the room they were all in, Derek, Scott and Stiles were holding Isaac down in a tub of ice and Isaac was fighting with all of his might.

"Hold him!" I looked over at the unfamiliar man, who was standing over Scott's shoulder.

"We're trying!" Derek shouted back at him. I rolled my eyes.

"Boys," I greeted, walking into the room. I went around Derek and nudged Scott aside with my hip and he moved to help Stiles hold down Isaac's legs. Without any hesitation, I peeled off my jacket and submerged my hands into the frigid tub, grasping Isaac's left shoulder and arm. Eyes flashing red for a moment, I used my strength to push him down under the water. Derek huffed a little as Isaac struggled, but with my help, Isaac stayed under the water.

"You've been spending too much time with Peter," Derek muttered under his breath. I breathed out a laugh.

"What's this all about?" I asked Derek softly. His eyes flashed up to meet mine.

"Deaton's idea," he whispered. I looked over at the vet and exhaled, hoping whatever this plan was, it wouldn't hurt Isaac too badly. It was bad enough that we were holding him down in ice water.

Once Isaac stopped struggling, he went into a sort of trance. The vet, Deaton, began asking him questions about Erica and Boyd. I crouched down next to Isaac, brushing he hair away from his eyes. I looked up at Derek worriedly and I felt him take my other hand, which was resting behind Isaac's head on the lip of the tub, and squeezed it reassuringly.

I began tuning out Deaton, only focusing on Isaac while occasionally meeting Derek's gaze, which never left me. I stroked Isaac's wet hair and found myself murmuring to him quietly, echoing the reassurances Deaton was giving him when Isaac fought against his memories, obviously scared. I fought down my anger, furious that the Alphas did this to him- he was just a _kid_, for Christ's sake.

Isaac's eyes slowly opened in the middle of the interrogation, staring into mine. I looked down at him gently, even though I knew he couldn't really see me.

Then everything went bad when Isaac started fighting us again, and Derek, being Derek, got impatient. He began shouting at Isaac, which caused Deaton to yell at Derek, and Scott to yell at him as well. I knew this wasn't going to solve anything and Isaac was about two seconds away from going to into shock. Isaac kept screaming, his heart pounding loudly.

Half-shifting, I bared my teeth before letting out a vicious, blood chilling roar. This got the men to shut up pretty quickly and I heard Isaac's heart leap as he broke out of his trance, flailing a little.

"I saw it! I saw the name!" Isaac yelled. He quickly stood up and Deaton and I wrapped him in towels that Scott handed us. I rubbed his shoulders, trying to get his circulation back up.

"It was uh…Beacon Hills First National Bank, it's an um, an abandoned bank and they're keeping them locked inside...inside the vault," Isaac said, his voice shaking a little. I bit my lip, looking at everyone else, who remained equally as quiet.

"What?" Isaac asked, looking at me in confusion. I opened my mouth and closed it, unsure of what to say.

"You don't remember what you said right before you came out of it, do you?" Stiles asked quietly. I looked over at him since this was the first time I had heard him speak tonight.

"No," Isaac answered.

"You said they captured you and dragged you into a room and that there was a body in it," Stiles said.

"What body?" Isaac's frame tensed a little and I rubbed his shoulders again, silently encouraging him to relax. When Stiles didn't answer, I looked up at him.

"Erica. You said it was Erica," I murmured.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I watched as Isaac froze, his expression becoming a mixture of horror and confusion. Lyra continually rubbed his shoulders and arms and I resisted the urge to growl in disapproval. I knew Lyra was just taking care of him, since it was a wolf's instinct to care for its other pack members. I frowned at that, since I had never really considered Lyra part of our group- much less our pack- until now. It wasn't unusual for packs to have two Alphas, especially if one was male and the other was female, but that usually happened when they were mates and Lyra and I were _definitely not_ mates.

My thoughts were interrupted by Isaac.

"Wh-what do you mean I said it was Erica? No, no…she can't be dead!" he exclaimed, leaning back against a table. Lyra leaned against him, but if it was for comfort or to warm him up with her body heat, I didn't know. Probably both.

"She's not dead!" I finally exclaimed, crossing my arms.

"Derek, he said there's a dead body, it's Erica, doesn't exactly leave us much room for interpretation," Stiles argued.

"Then who was in the vault with Boyd?" Lyra asked, frowning. I shot her a look, since I had been thinking the same thing.

"Someone else, obviously," Stiles said.

"And maybe it was the girl on the motorcycle, the one that saved you?" Scott suggested, looking at Isaac. He just shook his head.

"No, she wasn't like us and whoever was in the vault with Boyd was," Isaac said quietly.

"What if that's how Erica died? They'd pit them against each other on the full moon and see which one survives. It's like werewolf thunder-dome!" Stiles said, looking at all of. I caught Lyra's upward glance at the ceiling as she sighed before giving Stiles an impatient look.

"Then we get them out tonight," I snapped. Deaton gave me a cool look.

"Be smart about this Derek, you can't just go storming in," he said calmly.

"If Isaac got in, so can we," I protested. Deaton just shook his head at me.

"But he didn't get through a vault door, did he?"

"We need a plan," Scott declared.

"How are we going to come up with a plan to break into a bank vault in less than 24 hours?" I demanded. Lyra lifted a hand to quiet everyone down, her eyes full of authority.

"No, Scott is right. We need a plan. If we go in with no plan, we'll be walking into the middle if God only knows what. We don't know if the Alphas have more people, more wolves, down there with Boyd and this other girl. Maybe if we figure out if someone else has managed to break into the vault, we can just do what they did to get in," she said.

"Ah, I think someone else already did. Beacon Hills First National closes its doors three months after vault robbery. Doesn't say here how it was robbed but it probably won't take long to find out," Stiles said, reading from his phone, glancing up at us.

"How long?" I asked.

"It's the internet, Derek, Stiles scoffed. "Minutes."

"Well, once you figure that out, have Scott call me or Derek," Lyra ordered. "I'm going to take Isaac back so we can get his body temperature up."

"It won't take that long," Deaton said, finally addressing Lyra directly. Lyra exchanged a look with the vet before she nodded and wrapped an arm around Isaac's waist.

"Come on," she urged softly. Lyra looked over at me and met my gaze.

"You coming?" she asked. I nodded and followed them out. We got into my new car, Lyra sitting in the back with Isaac as I drove. In the rearview mirror, I saw Isaac was still shivering every now and then.

"Isaac? I'm going to trigger the healing process, so you'll start warming up faster, okay?"

"Okay, but how-," Isaac's question was cut off by a quick snap and he yelped. I glanced over and saw Lyra had simply broken his pinky, which healed in a matter of seconds.

"Sorry," she said. Isaac just exhaled, leaning his head back.

"It's all right. It's helping," he murmured, closing his eyes.

When we arrived back at the loft, Isaac went upstairs to shower and sleep. Lyra looked up at him as he climbed the stairs, her eyes full of worry. When he disappeared, she turned her blue-purple eyes to me.

"Do you think it was really Erica?" she asked. I shook my head, walking over to sit down at the table.

"I hope not," I said quietly. "Isaac, Eric and Boyd got close after I changed them. They were all outcasts of sorts, and I figured…"

"The bite would change that?" I nodded. Lyra came over to stand a few feet away from me, looking out the window.

"They're outcasts no matter what, Derek. Human or werewolves, it wouldn't make a difference."

"I thought it would for them," I explained. "I thought…" Lyra looked over at me, her eyes glowing purple in the sunlight.

"You don't have to explain yourself, Derek. I see why you did it. I understand." I sighed, leaning back a little, tilting my head up to look at the ceiling.

"I failed," I said out loud, half to myself. "It's my fault if Erica's dead. I should have done better at protecting her and Boyd. I should have never let them leave that night."

Suddenly, Lyra was standing over me, her eyes fierce. She stepped right up to me, cupping my face in her hands.

"Stop it. Stop blaming yourself for everything that's gone wrong. Take it from me, you can't stop these kind of things from happening. So buck up and let's figure out a way to kick these fucker's asses, okay?"

I stared up at her, and her heated gaze. I could smell the scent of her shampoo, of her skin, of her blood…pumping through her veins, giving off the more subtle scent of wolf and pheromones….

Without thinking, I grabbed her wrists and yanked them down and off my face, pulling her onto my lap so that she straddled me. I yanked her arms over my shoulders and gripped her hips. Lyra's eyes changed, darkened, before she swept down and our lips crashed together.

We both groaned, her hands gripping the scruff of my neck with a hint of claws, mine digging into her hips. Her lips parted and her tongue met mine in a wicked dance and I felt heat and desire pool in my gut.

Lyra grinded herself against me and I growled, sliding my hands up her sides so I could grip her hair. I pulled her head back and skimmed my teeth over the curve of her neck and she moaned my name. I felt a flash of satisfaction and nipped her collarbone. Lyra turned her head so our lips collided again and she nibbled on my bottom lip and I traced hers with my tongue.

Reaching for her shirt, ready to pull it off, my phone suddenly began buzzing. I growled angrily and Lyra began giggling, resting her forehead against my shoulder. Our hearts knocked together and I reached over to answer it.

"What?" I snapped.

"Any luck with Isaac's memories?" Peter drawled. I closed my eyes briefly as Lyra continued to shake with silent laughter, not bothering to move.

"Yes," I hissed. "I'll fill you in tomorrow, okay?"

"My, my, someone's got their fur in a tangle. Whose heart beat am I hearing other than yours? That wouldn't be Lyra would it?"

"Hi, Peter," Lyra greeted and I shot her a dirty look. She surprised me by sticking her tongue out at me.

"Am I interrupting something?" Peter asked, obviously amused.

"Nah, just Derek and I making out," Lyra said casually. I groaned in defeat and they both laughed.

"Well, I'll let you two get back to that…." I ended the call with a flick of my finger as I glared at Lyra.

"Seriously?" I growled. Lyra just leaned in and kissed me slowly, rubbing her hips against mine.

"Seriously," she murmured against my lips.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

The next day, I went downstairs and saw Lyra in the main room, once against doing her yoga. I bit back a groan as I rubbed my neck, since I was still wound like some damn toy from last night. Lyra had dashed away to her rooms before we could…_you know_…and that confused and frustrated me to no end.

Isaac had left for school, which meant we were alone. I descended the stairs and Lyra looked over at me as she bent to one side, one arm reaching over her head. I saw the sports bra she wore lift, revealing the bottom of her Alpha tattoo on her ribs.

"Hey, Alpha Derek," she said casually. I rolled my eyes at the nickname. She had started calling me that a few months back, at first as a joke, but now it was becoming a pretty regular thing.

As I watched, she changed positions, and the muscles in her toned stomach flexed as well as the ones in her legs. Her hair was pulled back again and a few strands were damp around her face. She must have already gone on her run.

"Stop staring," Lyra teased, looking t me from under her lashes. "It's distracting."

"You're distracting," I growled. Lyra's lips curved.

"Oh really now?"

Then she bent over, wrapping her arms around her legs, before slowly, she placed her hands on the ground. With one, fluid movement of her spine, she slid down so her stomach brushed the ground and she arched her back, before bringing one leg up in the air, pointing her toe

By that point, I was sure there was no more blood in my head. I felt my wolf surge forward and snarl. Desire and heat pooled in my gut and I growled, striding over to her, sliding the table aside so it crashed against the wall.

Lyra looked up just as I grabbed her elevated leg and flipped her over onto her back, so she landed right on top of her tiny yoga mat. I covered her body with my own as I hungrily claimed her lips, relishing in her taste and the tang of salt from her sweat.

Lyra groaned and arched against me. I ran a hand down her body roughly, hitching her leg over my hip before I rocked sharply against her. She gasped, as she threw her head back, rubbing her hips against my growing arousal.

Her hands dragged down my back and I heard her claws ripping through my shirt. Heat rose between us as we tore off each other's clothes. I trailed my tongue down her body, between her breasts, down her stomach before dipping in between her legs.

"_Derek!_" she screamed. I rubbed my thumb pad over her clit as I dragged my teeth over her bare mound. She writhed against me, the smell of her arousal driving me and my wolf insane.

Then she snarled, flipping me on my back. Her eyes were that deep, deep red color, blazing into mine. She leaned down and nipped my neck sharply, before dragging her tongue over it to soothe away the sting.

"Before I walk in on something that'll make me want to gouge my eyes out, do you think you two can stop what you're doing and put on some clothes?"

Lyra and I froze at the sound of Peter's voice, staring at each other in disbelief. Lyra's eyes cooled off as she looked over at the main door the same time I did.

"Oh God," she whispered before collapsing on top of me. I sighed loudly, resting my head back.

"Fuck," I muttered.

"I'll say," Lyra mumbled. She peered up at me, her eyes dancing. She stood, completely naked, kicking at my feet.

"Come on, go tell Peter the coast is clear. I'll go upstairs." I arched a brow at her, tracing her golden curves with my eyes.

"Maybe I should join you," I said suggestively. Lyra scoffed before leaping over me neatly. Within seconds, I heard her ascend the stairs and the shower start right after.

Sighing, I stood and yanked on my pants and picked up my torn shirt. I shrugged and tossed it aside, moving the table back in its place before going to the door. Peter was leaning against the wall outside and he eyed me for a moment.

"Well then," he said. "What _have_ you been up to?"

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

When I went back downstairs, I was showered and changed into a fresh pair of black skinny jeans and a pale lavender tank top. Without saying anything, I tossed Derek a new shirt I had gotten out of his room. I continued walking into the kitchen so I could grab a piece of fruit.

I strolled back out and saw Peter and Derek were now discussing something while sitting at the table. I walked over and sat down next to Peter, propping my feet up.

"What are we talking about?" I asked, biting into an apple. Peter gave me a droll look.

"Besides your apparent sex life, I was informing Derek that Scott and Stiles found something that might help us get into that bank vault tonight," he said. Derek made some sound of annoyance at Peter's first statement, rubbing a hand over his eyes.

"Actually, you interrupted us _again_ before we could have sex," I said bluntly. This time Derek just choked. I smiled at Peter.

"Sorry about that," he replied smoothly. "But we have more important matters on hand then you two going at it like rabbits." I snorted with amusement as I took another bite of apple.

"What did Scott and Stiles find?" I asked.

"A police report about that vault robbery, with details as to how they got in," Peter said. I nodded.

"I told them to come over and show it to us- all of us- when they're done at school. Later, we can get into the bank and figure out what to do from then," Derek said. I looked up at him finally, arching a brow.

"Are you sure we should go in without a plan? Haven't we already settled that isn't a smart idea?" I asked pointedly. Derek sighed sharply.

"We don't have time to figure every little step out, Lyra," Derek said impatiently. "We have to get in and get out before the moon reaches its peak and Boyd and the girl shift." I pursed my lips before looking back at Peter.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"I think no matter what you plan, nothing is going to go according to that plan," he remarked. "The Alphas have proved themselves to be unpredictable and since Boyd is new and who knows about the girl…." Peter shrugged. "It's not going to be easy."

A few hours later, Stiles and Scott showed up. Isaac went up to his room to rest once I checked he was okay, I just saw that he was worn down from everything.

Stiles laid out some blueprints on the table as Scott and Derek stood on either side of him. I sat with Peter on the spiral staircase, leaning against his legs comfortably. Peter, being the charmer he was, even began braiding my hair, telling me how he used to do this with Derek's sisters when they were younger. He said it very quietly but even so, Derek was distracted with talking to the teenagers.

"What are you going to do, Derek, punch through the wall?" Stiles asked, interrupting us. I tilted my head at this, noticing Derek's look.

"Yes, Stiles, I'm going to punch through the wall," Derek repeated sarcastically.

"Okay, big guy, let's see it, let's see that fist, that big ol' fist, c'mon." Derek lifted his fist.

"Big Bad Wolf, yeah look at that," Stiles continued. Peter and I roll our eyes when Derek glanced over, looking like he was ready to take Stiles's head off.

"Okay, see that? That's about three solid inches to gather enough force to-" Derek punched Stiles's hand with one swift motion, causing the teen to cry out in pain.

"He can do it!" Stiles yelped.

"I'll get through the wall, who's following me down?" Derek asked, glancing over at Peter.

"Don't look at me, I'm not up to fighting speed yet and honestly, with Isaac out of commission, you're not looking at very good odds for yourself," Peter said. I shot him a dirty look.

"What am I, chopped liver?" I demanded.

"So I'm supposed to just let them die?" Derek shot back, ignoring me.

"One of them is already dead," Peter replied.

"We don't know that."

"Do I have to remind you what we're up against? A _pack _of Alphas. All of them- killers. And if that's not enough to scare your testicles back into your stomach, try to remember that two of them can combine bodies to form one giant Alpha." My lips twisted into a smile at Peter's visual.

"I'm sure Erica and Boyd are sweet kids and they're going to be missed," Peter finished, looking away.

"Can someone kill him again, please?" Stiles asked. Peter looked back over at the teen before back at Derek.

"Derek? Seriously? Not worth the risk," he said.

"What about you?" Derek asked, looking at me finally. I sighed, standing up to stroll over to the table.

"Good thing my balls are metaphorical," I replied. "I'm in." Derek smiled a little before glancing at Scott.

"And you?" he asked.

"Yeah if you want me to come-," Stiles began.

"Not you," Derek interrupted. Stiles paused and pointed at Scott.

"…Scott," he said.

"I don't know about Erica, but if Boyd's still alive we have to do something," Scott said, which made Peter huff.

"We have to try," I said, nodding at Scott as he gave me a worried look.

"But?" Derek said, eyeing me and Scott.

"Who's the other girl? The one locked in there with Boyd?" Scott asked. Derek shook his head.

"I don't know, but we should be ready for whoever might be down there," he stated firmly.

After that, it was decided that Stiles and Peter would stay behind to hold down the fort, while the rest of us went to the bank. I requested Peter to keep an eye on Isaac, which he grudgingly agreed to, muttering about me owing twice now.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

When we arrived to the bank, we went around the back to an alleyway, Derek and I scoped it out and I motioned to the ladder that lead up the fire escape, which went up to the roof.

"I'm going to check it out," I said, getting ready to leap up. Derek's hand clamped down on my arm and I looked up at him. He stared down at me heatedly, reminding of me how he looked this morning before…well _before_.

"No you don't," he scolded. "We're all going to stay together in case any of the Alphas show up." I huffed, pulling my arm away from his grasp. I looked over at Scott and noticed his hesitation.

"What?" I asked.

"There's just something I can't get out of my head," Scott said, looking between me and Derek.

"The moon's rising, Scott, what is it?" Derek asked impatiently. I nudged him with my elbow sharply.

"Risk and reward."

"Which means what?" Derek asked, tension rolling off him in waves. The pressure of the moon was resting heavily on all of us, even I could feel my wolf's restlessness.

"We're not measuring the risk without information, we don't know enough," Scott explained in a hurry.

"We know time is running out!" Derek exclaimed.

"Yeah but think about it. They put the triskelion on your door four months ago, what have they been doing all his time, why wait until now?" Scott demanded. I frowned at this, since he did have a point. We were doing exactly what we said we wouldn't do- rushing in without a plan.

"Look we don't have the time to figure out every little detail!" Derek seethed.

"But what if this detail- the reason why they waited- what if it's the most important one?" Scott pointed out. Derek's expression went stony.

"Then we do nothing and Boyd and Erica are dead. I know what I'm risking. My life for theirs," Derek said firmly. I looked up at him and thought about what I had been wondering earlier, of how Derek had no problem walking into the line of fire if that meant saving his pack. He was showing it here, right now, when we were all in danger because of the rising moon and the pack of Alphas. Despite everything, Derek was unafraid, willing to risk it all for the two teenagers he turned in hopes of giving them a better life.

I reached down and took Derek's hand to squeeze it, to tell him _I'm here with you._ He squeezed back gently before letting my hand go.

Derek then ran to jump up onto the brick wall, using it to push off and grab the ladder, hoisting himself up with ease.

"And I won't blame you if you don't follow us," he said to Scott. He continued to climb up as I looked up after him. I turned to Scott and reached over to lay a hand on his shoulder. Scott looked over at me and I smiled, which he returned.

I went first, taking a running start before I leapt up and grabbed the ladder, pulling myself up. I climbed up, and heard Scott follow me up. When I reached the top, Derek offered me a hand to pull me up onto the roof. We made our way to the vent Stiles told us about, which Derek tore off.

"Be careful," I warned him. He looked over at me and smirked before sliding down into the small opening. I told Scott to wait until we called him down, before sliding down after Derek.

It was a tight fit, and very dark, so Derek and I had to use our wolf eyes to see. I reached over and felt the solid wall.

"Ready?" Derek asked. I clenched my hand into a fist.

"Ready."

Together, with a series of short range punches, we crashed through the wall with relative ease. When the wall crumbled, Derek ducked and rolled into the room. I waited for the dust to clear, and call Scott, before stepping in.

"Boyd?" Derek said cautiously. I saw a tall, very muscular teen standing across the room, growling deeply. I stiffened, feeling my lips curl back from my teeth instinctively.

"Boyd? It's me, it's Derek," Derek said, lifting a hand in front of him in a gesture of peace. Scott stepped into the room and I heard his phone buzz inside his pocket.

"Stiles, now is not the best time," Scott hissed into his phone.

"Scott, Scott, no listen to me, okay look- you gotta get out of there! Look the walls of the vault are made of a mineral called 'hecatolite', it scatters the moonlight!" I froze, listening to Stiles's rushed voice.

"What does that mean?" Scott asked, his eyes huge. I looked at Derek, who was focusing his attention on Boyd.

"We're here to get you out, okay?" he was saying to the growling wolf.

"Look it keeps the light out, they haven't felt the full moon in months!" Stiles shouted.

"Think of it like the gladiators in the Roman coliseum, they use to starve the lions for three days, making them more vicious, more out of control. Deucalion has kept them from shifting for three full moons, diminishing their tolerance to it," Peter explained, his voice cool and calm, but I sensed the undercurrents inside of it.

"Derek," I growled, trying to get his attention. "_Derek_."

"Scott, they're going be stronger!" Stiles exclaimed.

"More savage, more blood thirsty, Scott- they're the lions. They're the starved lions and you, Lyra and Derek just stepped into the coliseum."

"Derek, we got a problem, a really big problem," Scott said loudly.

Then the girl emerged, her teeth bared viciously. I saw Derek's entire frame go still and his heart leap within his chest. I stepped up beside him.

"Derek?" I asked. He ignored me as he stared at the girl.

"Cora?" he asked quietly, his voice weighed down with disbelief.

"Who?" Scott and I asked together. Again, he ignored us.

"Cora?" he asked again, this time though, his voice broke a little and I felt my eyes widen at the look within his eyes- the utter torment, shock and hope.

"Derek, get out, get out now!" the girl snarled. I reached over and grabbed Derek's arm but he yanked it free. I gaped at him.

"No, no wait!" Scott shouted from behind us. I turned and saw a tall, lean woman pour black powder on the ground. I looked around quickly and saw it formed a circle around the vault. Without even sniffing, I knew exactly what it was.

"Mountain ash!" I snarled angrily. But I had no time to stay angry, since Boyd and the girl, Cora, began shifting. They roared furiously, baring their fangs and unsheathing their claws.

They lunged for us and I took on Cora, leaving the larger male to Derek. Shoving aside any emotion I felt for having to tear into the girl Derek obviously knew, I slashed and bit into her, howling.

Scott helped Derek with Boyd, though the two werewolves proved to be much more difficult to handle than I thought. Cora was vicious, her claws wickedly sharp and her fangs snapping into my skin every chance she got.

Scott and Derek paused to assess the deranged werewolves as I crouched to Derek's side, panting, my body desperately trying to heal itself.

"You know her?" Scott panted, looking at Derek briefly.

"She's my sister, my younger sister!" Derek exclaimed.

"What the hell is she doing here?" I asked, my eyes darting to the smaller female werewolf, who was glaring at us with hate-filled gold eyes.

"Like I have a clue, I thought she was dead!" he shouted. I felt a tug for him and saw a slender, curly haired girl burst into the vault, standing at the entrance.

Boyd lunged at attacked Scott and Cora lunged for Derek and I and together, we fought his sister. I tried not to do much damage to her, I fought mainly on the defensive, blocking her claws and her teeth.

"Look out!" the other girl screamed. I looked over my shoulder and saw Boyd stick his claws into Scott, lifting him up along the wall. I snarled furiously, attacking Boyd from behind. I threw him from Scott and roared, baring my teeth.

Then I saw the girl kneel at the entrance, eyeing the black powder. She looked up at Scott before posing her hands to scatter it.

"No, don't break the seal!" Derek and I shouted.

"Boyd!" she yelled, before scattering the ash. Boyd and Cora looked and snarled, bounding over through the door, roaring and howling as they escaped.

Derek and I ran after them, but Derek turned to the girl, grabbing her arm. Scott dashed after us.

"Don't touch her!" he snarled at Derek. I looked at the girl and realized by the protective tone in Scott's voice that this must be that girl he told us about, Allison.

"What were you _thinking_?" Derek demanded. Allison glared at him.

"I had to do something!" she said spitefully. I placed a hand on Derek's arm, so that he released her. Allison looked at me briefly, her eyes flashing with confusion, before focuinsg back on Derek.

"She saved our lives," Scott said firmly.

"Yeah and what do you think they're going to do out there? Do you have any idea what we just set free?" Derek asked.

"You want to blame me! Well, I'm not the one turning teenagers into killers," Allison snapped.

"No…no that's just the rest of your family," Derek shot back, even though his voice was now quiet. I inclined my head at this, eyeing the girl.

"I made mistakes. Gerard is not my fault."

"Then what about your mother?" Derek asked, his voice full of venom.

"What do you mean?" Allison asked, her brow twitching in confusion. Derek simply looked over at Scott.

"Tell her, Scott," he ordered. Allison looked over at Scott.

"What does he mean, Scott? What does he mean?" she asked quietly.

Unsure of this situation, I turned a little and nudged Derek with my shoulder, urging him to walk away. We left the teenagers as we made our way out of the bank without making a sound. We were still cautious, since we didn't know if the Alphas would suddenly appear from nowhere and attack.

"I'm not going to ask," I began, as I turned to Derek once we were outside. "Even though I want to know, I respect that that is your business with her, with Allison. But what _the fuck_ are we going to do about Boyd and…" I broke off on a choked laugh. "And your _sister_?" Derek leaned against the brick wall and released a long breath.

"I have no idea," he admitted softly. "They're going to be like wild animals and will kill anything in their path. All we can do is hope they stay in the forest and we can get to them before they get to anyone else."

Derek rested his head against the wall and I leaned next to him, giving in and putting my head against his shoulder. I felt him turn and inhale the scent of my hair, and he relaxed a little.

"It's going to be a long night," I muttered under my breath. I looked up at the moon and saw Derek do the same. It was shining clearly in the black sky, framed by glittering stars. I felt its pull, deep within myself, and my wolf stirred, ready to go out, ready to hunt.

Ooo0ooO

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! The action is just building up, and I'm hoping to have the next chapter up soon (probably before the new episode next week). There will be more scenes with just Derek and Lyra- some tender, some…hot… *winks***

**Let me know what you thought of this chapter! **


	5. The Hunt

Chapter Four: The Hunt

(Lyra's POV)

_I went back inside the bank, leaving Derek outside with his thoughts. I ignored Scott and Allison and entered the vault again. I inhaled and flinched when I smell it- the scent of a dead body._

_I walked to the side entrance to the vault and saw a small hallway, where there was a small storage closet. I smelled the rancid smell of ammonia, freshly spilled on the floor, and gasped when I saw the body crumpled in the corner of the closet. It was that of a young girl, with blonde curls and blue eyes that had dulled._

_Clenching my teeth, I scooped her up and carried her through the vault, back outside. Scott and Allison had looked at me then gaped at the sight. _

_"Call the police," I hissed to Allison through clenched teeth. The girl immediately pulled out her phone and dialed, and within seconds the cops arrived._

_But by then, I was gone, back outside in the alleyway with Derek. The girl had been left in plain view and I was not sure if Scott and Allison had fled as well. As if to match the grim mood, it had begun pouring, which I was grateful for. I tilted my head back and let the rain wash the sweat and stench from my body and clothes._

_"Come on," Derek said quietly, taking my hand to pull me down the alleyway, heading back to the forest._

A few hours later, I found myself tracking down the deranged werewolves that were on the prowl during the peak of the full moon.

"Scott, you go deep into the woods, Isaac, you go into the preserve," I instructed the Betas. I turned to Derek. "You can go through the trails, and I'll head towards the river and will make sure they're not heading across city lines. Everyone keep their phones on them in case we need help."

"Who put you in charge?" Derek asked in a mild tone. I simply arched a brow at him and jerked my head at Scott and Isaac, who took off into the trees. Derek looked disgruntled at being bossed around but he jogged off into the other direction.

I turned and decided to walk, keeping my eyes keen and my ears open. Using my tracking experience, I quickly deduced that Cora and Boyd were hunting together, and I ignored my sense of smell, since their scents were crossed all over the place.

I heard a loud roar in the distance and turned around quickly, noticing the tone was too deep to be any of the guys, even Derek, and I took off.

To my horror, I heard the screams of children running through the trees. I doubled my speed, digging my boots into the soft ground. When I drew closer, I could hear two terrified heart beats and one that wasn't quite human.

I leaped through the air, twisting my body to make it over two fallen trees, before landing on the balls of my feet, snarling. I saw Boyd circling a small shed, growling menacingly. He didn't notice me, since his intent was what was inside.

I turned when I heard the sound of running feet and sighed in relief when I saw Scott. He looked at me briefly before giving me a quick nod. I looked back at Boyd and roared loudly, drawing his attention away from the shed.

Boyd snarled at me, before he ripped the shed out of the ground and threw it away, revealing two small kids. I lunged forward and dug my claws into Boyd's back, who slashed at me and snarled. Scott darted forward and snatched the kids, lifting them up and running away within seconds. A small cluster of strange fireflies buzzing around Boyd and I and he swatted at them, causing me to duck to avoid his claws.

Swiftly, I darted off in the direction Scott had gone. I heard Boyd's angry call when he realized his prey was gone before he ran off in another direction.

The kids, who couldn't have been older than eight, clung to Scott's arms like Velcro. They watched me with frightened eyes and I smiled at them.

"Hey," I said, crouching slowly in front of them. "It's okay, we got you." The boy watched me with wide eyes.

"You looked scary, like that monster did," he said in a hushed voice. "But now you look like us." I looked up at Scott, who shrugged.

"Call Derek," I mouthed. He nodded and made the call. I looked at the kids again.

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm Lyra, and that's Scott," I said easily. They both looked up at Scott before looking at me.

"Are you going to catch him? The monster?" the girl whispered. I nodded slowly.

"Yes, I am, with my friends," I said. I looked up at Scott and listened.

"Look, I'm at the trails by the entrance to the preserve, can you meet me here?" Derek was asking him.

"Yeah, just gotta drop something off first," Scott said before hanging up. I stood as he hung up.

"I'll take them," I said. "Catch up with Derek, try to get Isaac to go with you. Splitting up was not a good idea on my part." Scott nodded and took off.

"Come here," I said to the kids, kneeling down again. I opened my arms and they hesitated.

"I won't hurt you," I repeated gently. The girl stepped forward and wrapped her arms around my neck and the boy followed, clinging to my shoulder. I lifted them with ease.

"Where are your parents?" They pointed to the houses down the large hill, which were backed up to the woods.

Once I left them safely in their backyards, they scurried off inside, where I heard their parents exclaim their relief. I ran back up into the woods, inhaling.

A warning growl had me turning around but I relaxed when Isaac emerged from the trees, his eyes glowing. He relaxed too and his eyes went back to ice blue.

"What happened?" he asked, noticing the new tears in my shirt.

"Boyd came across some kids," I said grimly. "Luckily Scott and I managed to get them away before… well, before." Isaac just nodded before walking to my side, his eyes scanning the woods.

Before long, we heard the cries of someone else. We looked at each other and sprinted into the direction they were coming from.

I heard Cora's snarls ripping through the air and the unmistakable smell of fear coming from whoever she had cornered. Isaac and I burst into the clearing and saw a young woman standing in front of a tent, with Cora standing within ten feet of her, growling.

Baring my teeth, I let my wolf come forward, and my claws snapped into place, and I felt my bones readjust themselves as I half shifted. I roared and Isaac ran forward as Cora prepared to attack, smashing her to the ground with a powerful swipe of his claws.

I ran forward as Cora rose and intercepted her blow of claws, which ripped across my abdomen. I howled and Cora attacked Isaac, throwing him against a tree with her brute strength. I swiped at her with my claws, catching her across the cheek. Suddenly sensing someone behind me, I twisted my body to the side, just as Scott tackled Cora to the ground.

Derek arrived, causing Cora to whirl at his presence. They snarled at each other, and I could smell Derek's powerful Alpha scent from where I stood. Cora sensed it too and paused before taking off into the bushes.

Derek's swirling red eyes met mine and I growled, before turning and running after his sister. I heard him follow me, with Isaac trailing him quickly.

I bounded around the trees, mere steps away from Cora. I reached out and clawed her shoulder, causing the smaller werewolf to stumble and turn around to challenge me. She snapped her teeth in my face and I growled furiously, baring my own sharp teeth. Cora swiped low with her feet and I swung my foot out, knocking it away and in the same movement, brought my knee up, which connected with her chin, causing her to fly through the air and crash into a tree.

I heard her jaw snap back into place as she howled, blood dripping out of the corner of her mouth. I lunged forward and tackled her, which made us land in a tangle of claws and teeth. Her fangs ripped into my shoulder and I tore my claws down her side. The Beta cried out in pain and managed to kick me off, backing a few steps away.

Suddenly, I was smashed into the ground by a wall of solid, snarling muscle. Boyd's claws dug into my chest and his teeth tore into my healing shoulder, reopening the wounds Cora had inflicted. Using my hips, I twisted him off my body and stood, roaring.

I heard Derek, Isaac and Scott show up, which caused the other Betas to run off. I turned but a strong hand grabbed my shoulder, stopping me.

"Wait," Derek ordered. "Let yourself heal." I looked down at my bleeding shoulder and ripped shirt, along with the barely healing wounds I had received all night. I panted and looked up at Derek. I saw my own reflection in the gleam of his eyes and struggled to rein in the animal inside me, since I was still half shifted with red eyes. My heart was thundering in my chest and I felt the beast shift inside me, flexing its strength against my will to hold it back-

"Lyra." My gaze snapped up to Derek again and I felt his grasp soften to a caress on my arm, rubbing, kneading the taut muscles under my skin. I inhaled deeply and relaxed as I blew it out, closing my eyes briefly to calm myself and to build up that wall of control. When my eyes opened again, they were a deep blue violet color once again.

"I'm okay," I breathed, rolling my shoulder as the torn flesh knitted itself back together and the harsh bruising faded away.

"Are you sure?" I looked over at Scott, who was now on the phone. I tilted my head and heard Stiles's voice on the other end.

"Yep, throat ripped out, blood everywhere. It's like the freaking Shining over here- if two little twin girls come out of the woods and start asking you to play with them forever and ever, I'm not going to be surprised," Stiles ranted. I rubbed a hand over my eyes and shook my head. I sensed Derek's quiet amusement at my exasperation.

"Can you get a little closer to make sure it was them?" Scott asked.

"Make sure it was them, Scott, who else is going around ripping throats out?" Stiles's voice was full of disbelief.

"Please just do it," Scott said, his own tone a little short and distraught. He walked a few feet away, his body tense.

I sighed and leaned heavily against a tree, looking back up at the moon. It had reached its peak, where it would stay for the next here hours or so, before its full power would wane and give way to morning.

"Fun night, huh?" Isaac asked humorlessly. I smiled, looking at the tall Beta. He was arching his brow rather distastefully at the moon before he looked at me, his lips curving.

"Best night so far," I replied, matching my tone to his, keeping my expression bland. He chuckled and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"It looks like it was them," Scott announced, walking back over to us. Derek frowned and crossed his arms.

"It still doesn't make any sense. The public pool is all the way on the other side of the woods, we haven't tracked them anywhere near there," Derek argued, his brows furrowing.

"Derek, they killed someone," Scott said pointedly, his dark eyes staring at the older wolf.

"How are they moving so fast?" Derek asked, half to himself. I pushed off the tree and laced my hands on my hips, frowning, considering.

"Derek-" Scott began.

"They can't be that fast on foot!" Derek nearly shouted. I rested a hand on his shoulder and I felt him relax ever so slightly.

"They killed someone! Some totally innocent kid is dead and it's our fault." Derek's shoulders slowly tensed again and he looked at all of us, and I nearly flinched at the look of guilt and self loathing in his green gaze.

"It's my fault," he stated softly.

"We need help," I urged, squeezing his shoulder while looking to Scott.

"We have Isaac now," Derek said. I shook my head at the same time Scott did.

"No, she's right, we need real help," he said.

"They're too fast for us, for all of us, they're too strong, too rabid. Even for you and I, Derek," I said, clenching my jaw.

"We'll catch them," Derek said stubbornly. I hissed out a breath at him.

"And what happens if we do, are we just going to hold them down until the sun comes up?" Isaac asked, drawing out the question that was on all of our minds.

"Maybe it would be easier just to kill them," Derek muttered.

"No," I said firmly. "Absolutely not."

"Killing them isn't the right thing to do," Scott concluded.

"What if it's the only thing to do? And if we can't even catch them, what else do we do?" Isaac asked, looking at Derek then at me.

"Find someone who knows what they're doing," Scott suggested. Derek and I gave him equally suspicious looks.

"Who?" we asked together, our eyes narrowing. Isaac raised his brows at this, but didn't comment.

"Someone who knows how to hunt werewolves," Scott declared. This time, Derek and I exchanged a look.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I stared at Scott, feeling flabbergasted.

"You're not serious, are you?" I asked after a beat. Scott made a vague _Yes!_ gesture with his hands.

"What else can we do?" he shot back. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose with my fingers. I heard Lyra huff.

"He has a point, Derek. If we keep this up, Boyd and Cora will keep killing." I looked over at her as she stood next to me, covered in dirt and blood, her hair in tangles, but her eyes clear and direct.

"Fine," I growled lowly. "Both of you go to the car." Scott and Isaac nodded and jogged off. Lyra turned to face me, arching a brow.

"Got a special job for me, Alpha Derek?" she asked, sounding amused.

"How would you feel about patrolling the woods while we go get Argent?" I asked. Lyra tilted her head at me, her eyes gleaming.

"_Mmm_," she hummed, rocking back on her heels. "Sure. Is that all?" This time her eyes were glittering with wicked intent. I felt my gut tighten as my wolf growled possessively, eyes raking over her body. Had it only been this morning when I had my hands on her? I remembered how she writhed beneath me…how she tasted…

"Your scent just got _very_ interesting," Lyra all but purred. "Is that desire I smell?" I narrowed my eyes at her.

Within a matter of seconds, I had her against a tree, my lips claiming hers in a heated kiss. Her taste was addicting, it pulled me in, drawing out every primal instinct in my body to possess her, make her _mine_…

Her teeth scraped over my bottom lip and she tugged, growling. I growled back and trailed my tongue down her golden throat, enjoying the salty, hot taste of her, the feeling of her blood pumping rapidly under her skin.

I took her mouth again and our tongues clashed and slid together, teeth scraping, drawing pinpricks of blood, making my wolf want more. I yanked her hands above her head, causing her body to bow against mine. Her breasts meshed against my chest and I watched the golden globes heave under her shirt.

"Derek?"

I nearly snarled at Scott's call, feeling my wolf's fury at being interrupted yet again. I glared at Lyra, who watched me with red-flecked eyes that burned with equal fire.

"One day, I'm going to get my hands all over you," I murmured against her ear. "And I'm not going to stop." Lyra nipped my earlobe sharply.

"Ditto," she whispered huskily. I pulled back and dropped her hands, before leaving her to head towards the trail where I had left my car and two Betas that asked me what took me so long, before noticing how Lyra's scent was all over me. That shut them up pretty fast.

We drove through town, following Argent's scent until we found him in a grocery store parking lot, loading his car. Scott jumped out of the car, instructing us to wait here.

I watched as Scott approached Chris, who turned quickly and pointed a gun at him. My hands tightened on the steering wheel briefly but I relaxed when the hunter didn't shoot.

"Do you think this is going to work?" Isaac asked, slouching over in the passenger seat.

"Nope," I said flatly.

"Me neither," he muttered. There was a pause and I listened to Scott talk to Chris before Isaac looked at me again.

"So ah… your sister," he began. I raised my brows a little and looked at him. He eyed my expression before he started squirming.

"Sorry," he mumbled, clearing his throat.

"Sorry ah, that's bad timing, sorry, right. I'll ask later, it's fine," he said. I looked at him again, pinning him down with my stare. He stared back before looking away.

"Or never…yeah, I'm good with never." A few seconds went by before he turned to me again.

"Okay, but what about you and Lyra?" he asked bluntly. "Is something going on there?"

"It's none of your business," I told him, training my eyes forward.

"But her scent is all over you. Are you two…_you know_…?"

"God, how old are you, 12?" I asked sarcastically, glaring at him from the corner of my eyes. "I don't see how it matters to you if we are or aren't."

"I'm just asking 'cause I'm wondering if this means she's a part of our pack now."

"I don't know," I admitted. "That's up to her. I can't force her to join us, she's an Alpha."

"But wouldn't that be good for all of us? You said we're stronger in numbers and with her being an Alpha, wouldn't that make us stronger as a whole?"

"Like I said, it's up to her. So ask her, not me." By this time, Scott had gotten in Chris's car and they were driving away. I followed them, not too close, all the way to the public pool.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I watched as Derek walked away, leaving me burning for more of his touch. I eyed how his shirt clung to his wide shoulders and merely draped around his narrow waist. And his Levi's were doing a pretty good job at making his ass look fine.

Shaking away my lusty thoughts, I turned back to the matter at hand. Soon I would have Derek Hale; right now I had to focus on finding his baby sister, who was currently set on ripping anything with a heart beat apart.

I began tracking Boyd and Cora again, using my supernatural hearing and sense of smell. I was not familiar with Boyd's scent but I managed to catch onto Cora's slightly, since there was an underlying similarity to her and Derek's scent- which came from being siblings, I suppose.

I found them down by a stream, where they were hunting down a large deer. I felt a sense of relief, even though I felt sort of bad for the deer, it was better than some unfortunate late night hiker.

Right then, the wind changed and it blew my scent towards them, causing them to turn and snarl.

"Ah, shit," I muttered before turning and taking off into woods. I heard them pursuing me, quickly catching up. Without noticing, I lead them right to the edge of the forest, where there was a low cliff that led back towards town.

"Fuck," I hissed, turning around to face them. They lunged through the trees, each leaping from either side. I dove forward, sliding across the floor as they missed me and collided into each other instead. With one swift move, I bowed my back and flipped back onto my feet, letting my fangs and claws slide into place.

"Bring it," I growled before lunging forward. Boyd sent a fist my way, which I dodged, before sending the heel of my boot smashing into his cheek, causing him to spit up blood. Cora darted forward quickly, catching me on the back with her sharp claws. I whirled and crushed her nose with my elbow, causing her to howl in pain and anger.

Boyd suddenly crashed into me, taking us both into the side of a tree. My head smacked against it sharply, causing me to reel for a moment as I felt my head heal from a possible concussion. I watched with blurred eyes as Cora and Boyd darted off into the darkness and I growled, rubbing my head.

Once my head wasn't spinning, I took off after them, only pausing them I heard voices in the distance. I tilted my head and realized it was Derek with Scott and Isaac, and one other man.

_Argent_, I concluded. Sighing, I jogged in the direction of their voices, hoping the hunter would have some tricks up his sleeve with how to catch two crazed werewolves.

I found them at the base of the preserve, in front of a Toyota SUV. I hid in the shadows, eyeing the werewolf hunter. He was tall, with pale blue eyes and blonde-gray hair. I felt myself grow wary but I still stepped forward.

"Derek," I said, causing all four men to turn. Derek srode forward immediately, lifting up my chin.

"What happened?" he demanded. I looked into his eyes, which were blazing.

"I found them, fought them. Couldn't take them alone. Boyd used my head to almost take down a tree," I explained, wincing as Derek prodded the still healing wound along the side of my skull.

"It looks fractured," he murmured. I exhaled sharply and looked up him dryly.

"You don't say?" I pulled away from him, squeezing his hand before turning to the others.

"Lyra," I said to the hunter. He inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"Chris," he replied. He looked at Scott then.

"Tracking them by print?"

"Trying to," Scott said.

"Well then you've been wasting your time. There's only one creature on earth that can visually track footprints, and that's man. And if you're not trained like me, you have no idea that those prints are Boyd's and these…" Chris motioned to a second set of footprints.

"Are Cora's," Isaac concluded. Chris shook his head.

"Nope, they're yours. You trampled Cora's as soon as you walked over here. Listen, I know the four of you are focusing half your energy on resisting your own urges under the full moon, but that puts you at a severe disadvantage to Boyd and Cora, who have both fully given in. They put the pedal to the floor but you four have barely hit the speed limit." Derek huffed.

"So what do we do?" I asked. "I've tried to track them down, but I've never dealt with this before when I tracked our kind." Chris's eyes became mildly curious but he didn't ask.

"Focus on your sense of smell, actual wolves are known to track down their prey by up to a hundred miles a day by scent, a trained hunter can use scent to track them. If the wind is with them, wolves can track a scent by a distance of two miles, which means we can draw them to us or into a trap," Chris told us, tossing Scott a net.

"The full moon does give us one advantage, they'll have a higher heat signature, which makes them easier to spot with infrared," he explained, also tossing us goggles. Derek and I exchanged a humorous look.

"Thanks, but I got my own," Derek said, flashing his red eyes at Chris. Chris then look at me, since I tossed the goggles back.

"Same," I said simply, letting my eyes heat. He frowned at this.

"Just remember we're not hunting wild animals, underneath those impulses are two intelligent human beings. They'll dig to rely on their human side, it's suppressed, but it's there, reminding them how to mask the scent, how to cover their tracks, how to survive," Chris finished. Then he turned to me.

"How experience are you with tracking your own?" he asked.

"Been doing it for the past five years. I managed to track Boyd and Cora, I know I can do that, but the problem is figuring out what to do when we find them," I said. I walked forward and the men followed, until we stood at the edge of a hill, which overlooked the whole town on Beacon Hills.

"When was the last time you saw your sister?" Chris asked Derek. I looked over my shoulder and saw Derek cross his arms defensively.

"Nine years. I thought she died in the fire," Derek said.

"Do you feel like you have a lock on her scent?" Derek shook his head and Chris looked at me again. I shook my head as well.

"I can recognize it, but I'm not familiar with their scents like I am with those I've tracked."

"Scott, how confident are you with your skills?"

"Honestly? Most of the time I'm trying not to think about all of the things I can smell," Scott admitted, crossing his arms as well.

"All right, the problem is when they breach the woods and hit the residential area. Once they're past the high school, they're right in the middle of Beacon Hills," Chris stated, his eyes scanning the distant lights of the town.

"They're not gonna kill everything they see, are they?" Isaac asked, looking at all of us.

"No, but there is an important difference to recognize. Wolves hunt for food and at a certain point, they get full. Boyd and Cora are hunting for the pleasure of the kill, there's some primal, apex predatory satisfaction that comes from the ripping of warm bodies to bloody shreds and who knows when that needs gets satiated," Chris explained seriously.

"And sometimes it never gets satisfied," I continued, looking at Isaac. "Killing is like a drug, once you turn it around for the simple pleasure, it never really stops." Isaac nodded, his eyes dark, while Chris frowned again.

"We can't kill them," Scott said firmly, looking at me directly. I nodded in agreement.

"What if we can't catch them?" Derek asked, looking at me and Chris. I looked at the hunter as well.

"Then maybe we just need to contain them," I suggested. Chris nodded slowly, looking out again.

"There's no one in the school at night, is there?" he asked slowly. I raised a brow at Derek, who frowned consideringly.

"You want to trap them inside?" Derek asked him. I looked at Isaac and Scott, who were exchanging a look.

"If there's somewhere with a strong enough door, no windows, no access to the outside," Chris said.

"What about the boiler room? It's just one big steel door," Isaac spoke up, taking a step forward. Chris, Derek and I all looked at each other.

"You're sure the school's empty?" Chris asked.

"It has to be, there can't be anyone there this late, right?" Scott said, looking at us, his eyes gleaming.

"I think that will be our best bet," I said, placing my hands on my hips, drumming my fingers. "Now how are we going to get them there?" Chris looked over at me.

"I think I've got something."

We walked back to his car and he popped open the trunk, pulling out these steel rods with a sharp end.

"These are ultra sonic emitters; it's one of the tools we use to corral werewolves, pushing them into a direction we want them to run," he said, pushing the top. I hissed and we all claimed our hands over our ears. The little device kept giving off this horrid keening noise.

"It gives out a high pitch frequency that only they can hear," Chris explained, looking at us, his eyes shining. I realized then he did that on purpose.

"No kidding!" Isaac gasped. Chris just smirked and began handing us the emitters, giving us three or four.

"These are going to drive them to the school?" Derek asked, eyeing them.

"And then it's up to you to get them into the basement," Chris instructed us.

"Does anyone else wanna rethink the plan where we just ah, kill them?" Isaac asked, looking at us. I rolled my eyes and smacked the back of his head softly. He gave me a pout, like a dog who just got reprimanded for being bad (no pun intended).

"It's going to work," Scott said confidently. Derek looked at me and I smiled, nodding.

"It'll work," Derek agreed.

"Split up," I ordered, turning around to jog back into the forest. I heard heavy footsteps behind me and knew they were Derek's.

We leapt through trees, leaving our emitters in strategic places. Derek tossed one into the branch of a tree, while I left one within a thorn bush. We continued going, heading down the hill slowly, leaving a trail of emitters.

Once Derek placed his last emitter into the ground, we rose and exchanged a long look. We were both bathed in moonlight, since it was reaching the end of its peak and was slowly lowering its great face in the sky.

"And the hunted becomes the hunter," a smooth voice said calmly. We turned and saw Peter leaning against a tree. I frowned at him.

"Where have you been?" I demanded. Peter shrugged.

"Here and there. I hear you're having trouble with two Betas, Derek. You really think a few high tech dog whistles are going to help?" he asked sarcastically.

"I don't see you offering a hand," Derek replied, turning to face Peter.

"Personally I'm trying to cut down on futile endeavors," Peter said, moving forward. I furrowed my eyebrows at him.

"Cora's alive," Derek said to him. Peter looked down briefly, consideringly.

"I heard, let's throw the reunion party when she's not an unstoppable killing machine," he suggested, his voice still sardonic.

"I can stop them," Derek declared, looking at me. "_We_ can stop them."

"By killing her, which happens to be the point of this little exercise. Deucalion wants you to kill them, he wants you to get rid of his baggage, making it easier for you to join his pack." I froze at this, my mind whirling.

_No!_ my mind screamed. _It's not possible, why would he keep-_

"The fact that it was supposed to happen in the vault and not up here out in the open doesn't change his plan. It just means Boyd and Cora are going to kill a few innocent people first," Peter continued, interrupting my thoughts.

"And I should just let them? I should be okay with innocent people dying?" Derek asked.

"Unless you're okay with killing your own?" Peter shot back.

"I can catch them, with Lyra's help. We got Scott and Isaac too."

"Oh c'mon, how much damage can they do? So they off a few homeless people, a drunk stumbling out of a bar too late, so what? Let Scott deal with it, let him be the hero of his moral black and white world, real survivors- you and I, even Lyra- we live in shades of gray. Then again, even if you did kill them, you're still an Alpha," Peter said pointedly, crouching to activate the emitter, before standing.

"You can always make more werewolves," he finished, before strolling away.

"That's where you're wrong, Peter," I called after him, causing him to stop and turn around.

"I might be a real survivor, but real survivors know the right thing to do is to make sure there's more survivors. Boyd and Cora aren't hopeless causes; they're just kids waiting to be saved from the beast they spent the last four months fighting, until they can learn to control it again. Killing them will only teach others that killing is the right thing to do… And isn't _that_ Deucalion's real plan? To teach us the power within killing, instead of the power of standing up for what is right?" I asked, arching a brow. Peter tilted his head.

"Well I'm sure you know all about what Deucalion's real purpose in being here is, hmm?" Then he turned and strode off. I clenched my teeth and fists. I hated knowing he wasn't entirely wrong.

"What does he mean, Lyra?" Derek asked quietly. I turned to look at him.

"I don't know," I lied. Derek glared. I sighed, rubbing a hand over my eyes, before giving him a helpless look.

"Look, you don't want to know. That's why I'm helping you- why I've _been_ helping you. You don't understand how far some will go for power and you certainly don't know how far Deucalion has gone to become what he is."

"What is he?" I shook my head and began jogging away.

"Lyra! What is he! _Lyra!_"

I ignored Derek, increasing my speed, heading down to the school.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I watched as Lyra ran away from me and I growled. I went after her, following the trails that lead down to the high school lacrosse field.

She took off in a separate direction, going after Isaac, who was running with Scott. Scott went to Argent and I went in through the open front doors, making my way along the hallways, preparing for Cora and Boyd.

Only a few minutes later, I heard them snarling and running as they came to the front of the school. I unleashed my claws and growled deep in my chest as they spotted me. They growled back and they leapt up, heading to the roof.

"They're going around the side!" I heard Lyra shout. I ran outside over to Chris and Scott.

"They're inside!" Chris yelled. "Someone has to get those other doors open!" I turned back around and took off, running around the side. I sensed I had a shadow, and I had a feeling it was Lyra.

I ripped the doors open and charged down the hallway, just as Boyd and Cora were running down the opposite end. I dashed forward and slammed into my sister, sending her crashing into the lockers, before I tossed her down the hall. That caught Boyd's attention, who growled and I heard Lyra's chilling snarl beside me.

Scott and Chris then showed up, Scott jumping down the stairs, Chris appearing at my side with a modified cattle prod.

"Come and get us," I challenged, before turning and sprinting for the stairs.

"Lyra, get Isaac!" I shouted over my shoulder as I heard Cora and Boyd take off after us. Scott and I made for the boiler room stairs, flying down the stairs and opening the door, flinging ourselves inside.

The room was dark and hot, but Scott and I used our supernatural vision to make it through the darkness with ease.

"Hey," he said suddenly. I turned and saw he was holding two fire extinguishers. I too k one as we entered the main room, which was filled with steam and smelled of heated metal.

Cora and Boyd entered the room slowly, their eyes adjusting to the dim lighting and Scott gave a shout before we sprayed them with the extinguishers. Once they were empty, we looked at each other before running for the main door again, Cora and Boyd hot on our heels.

We managed to get to the door, which I quickly slammed shut, leaning against it. I felt them smash and claw it viciously, before suddenly they stopped. I waited for a beat before taking a step back. Scott looked at me incredulously.

"Did that actually just work?" he asked, eyes wide. I looked at him with relief.

"It worked," I breathed. I stopped back and sat down, leaning my head back against the brick wall. Scott stepped forward and I closed my eyes briefly.

When I opened them again, I saw Scott's head tilt slightly and I sensed his sudden tension.

"What do you hear?" I asked wearily.

"Heart beats."

"Both of them?"

"Actually…there's three of them," Scott said softly. I looked up and stood quickly, listening.

"Hello? Is someone there?" I frowned at the trembling, feminine voice. I reached for the door handle slowly, quickly thinking of my options.

"What are you doing?" Scott demanded.

"Close the door behind me and keep it shut," I ordered quickly. Scott gave me a concerned look.

"You go in there alone and either you're going to kill them or they're going to kill you," he said slowly. I looked at him briefly.

"That's why I'm going in alone."

In one swift motion, I opened the door and ran inside. I heard the door slam shut and lock behind me just as quickly.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

When Derek and Scott ran off, I turned quickly to go find Isaac. I inhaled and tracked him down, finding him at the parking lot. I called his name and he turned, looking a little distracted.

"Come on!" I urged, turning back. Isaac followed me quickly as we ran down the hallways. Suddenly, the air exploded with a series of growls, snarls and roars. It sounded like an awful fight and I felt my blood chill as I heard Derek's howl of pain and rage.

"Scott? The sun's coming up!" Isaac said with relief. "Scott! The sun's coming up!" I barely heard him as I tore down the hallways, my heart thudding with a new level of fear.

"Derek? Derek!" I screamed.

Flinging the boiler room door open, I leapt down the stairs, where Scott was standing. He turned and stepped in front of the door.

"Lyra, no!" he shouted but I flung him against the wall roughly, before ripping the door off its hinges as I bounded into the room.

I sprinted through the darkness and jumped down the stairs, snarling viciously. With horror, I saw Cora and Boyd tearing into Derek, who was slumped over. I screamed again, which morphed into a roar as I felt a blinding rage takeover. I charged and grabbed the two Betas, smashing them into a wall, before sending them flying across the room. Snarling, I grabbed them again, each by the scruffs of their necks, not caring if my claws dug into their skin. I lifted them and dropped them on the ground, where they landed with breathless gasps.

I turned quickly, flinging myself to my knees in front of Derek. I ran my hands over him, then cupped his face. His eyes opened halfway, their green depths filled with a miserable sort of pain.

"Derek," I breathed. "You're going to be okay. Damn it, why did you go in here alone? Do you have a fucking death wish?" I felt my anger drain out of me as relief flooded me. Derek coughed a little and I exhaled, resting my forehead against his. I heard Scott and Isaac run into the room.

"There's a teacher, I'll take care of her," Derek wheezed. I could see the smaller claw marks healing but the major blows to his chest and abdomen were healing slowly, too slowly.

"Get them out of here," Derek hissed. I looked at Scott and Isaac fiercely as they gaped at Derek.

"Go! I'll check on the teacher," I growled. The boys quickly gathered Cora and Boyd, who had finally shifted back and laid on the ground, unconscious.

When they left, I looked back at Derek. He opened his eyes and stared at me. I tried to smile but couldn't. I ran a hand down his scruffy cheek and shook my head at him.

"Not the smartest decision you've ever made, Alpha Derek," I murmured. He sighed and leaned against my hand, before turning to kiss my palm.

"Sorry," he mumbled. I felt a shiver go through me at the thought of Derek dying down here. I leaned in and pressed my forehead against his chest, soothing myself with the sound of his strong heart beat.

"Lyra," he said quietly. "The teacher." I looked up into his eyes.

"First things first," I whispered. I leaned in and kissed him, taking his face in my hands. I rolled on the balls of my feet, running my hands through his hair and scraping my nails softly down the back of his neck. Our lips met and parted, this kiss much gentler than the others. It spoke of relief on many levels.

I pulled back and his eyes remained closed for a moment. I stood and he looked up at me. I offered him a hand, which he took, his hand engulfing mine. I pulled him to his feet and he stood over me, swaying slightly. I stepped forward and pressed my lips to his briefly again.

"Come on," I said softly.

We found the teacher cowering behind a set of shelves in a small room, full of office supplies. She looked up at me and gasped at the sight of Derek, who was still torn and bloody. I knew I didn't look any better.

Quietly, I offered her my hand, like I had with Derek. After some hesitation, she took it and I pulled her gently to her feet. She trembled and looked at us with wide, dark blue eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked. She shook her head after a moment and I tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"You will be," I said. The teacher barely looked at Derek but looked at me again before nodding. I turned my back to her and took Derek's arm, leading him from the room.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

A few hours later, I was sitting outside of Derek's place, on the ledge, watching the day go by below. I had managed to get Derek, Isaac and Cora back to Derek's while Scott had brought Boyd home. I heard that Boyd's parents had been nearly hysterical with relief, according to Scott and then I told him to go home and to get some rest.

Cora was still resting but she was no longer unconscious. She had woken briefly once we got back to Derek's and asked where she was. I had simply told her she was safe before she drifted again.

I tended to Derek's wounds, who then insisted on going the same. We both suffered massive injuries to our midsections, chests and backs. He also treated the wound on my head, which had taken a while to close up due to some intracranial swelling.

Once we had bandaged ourselves, I showered the night's events off my body, feeling somewhat normal again. I went outside to rest in the sunlight, which seemed like a blessing now. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds of traffic, of people talking. I slowly drowned that out, focusing on the birds singing, of the sound of the wind blowing, which soothed me.

I heard the window slide open and someone join me outside. I knew by the scent it was Derek, who settled himself next to me, with our hips brushing.

"How are you feeling?" he asked. I sighed and opened my eyes.

"Better. You?"

"Better."

A few minutes of silence went by before I turned to look at him. He had showered as well, but didn't shave. Not that he ever shaved, but I supposed the stubble suited him. He looked tired, which weighed heavily in his eyes.

He noticed my gaze and stared back. So our eyes remained locked, blue-violet against green, for a long moment.

"You're not going to tell me what you meant in the woods…are you?" he asked quietly. I dropped my gaze slightly then looked out towards the horizon again.

"There's a reason I'm not," I sighed. "I don't want to keep secrets from you, none of you! I just can't tell you the things I know, Derek, and I need you to trust me. I need you to trust me by knowing what Peter told you might be true, and that Deucalion will have a motive behind keeping Cora alive and for coming here when he found out you were Alpha."

"Is it that bad?" he asked. I looked at him again.

"It's worse than you can imagine," I stated.

He didn't respond. We sat there together for a little while longer, before he quietly left. I closed my eyes and felt my heart sink. I knew I couldn't keep these things hidden for long, it was only a matter of time before Deucalion would set his plan in further motion.

Ooo0ooO

**Author's Note: Okay, I lied. I'm sorry I didn't get this chapter up sooner; I got swamped with school and work! I'll do my best to post the next chapter later tonight or at the latest tomorrow. I hope your enjoying everything so far!**

**Please let me know what you thought of this chapter!**


	6. The Alpha Wolf

Chapter Five: The Alpha Wolf

(Lyra's POV)

A few days later, I was in the kitchen before dawn, cooking breakfast. I scrambled up some eggs, grilled ham, and fried some potatoes before rolling them in tortillas along with some cheese and greens.

I placed each burrito on its own plate, along with more fried potatoes and then waited. I poured myself a cup of coffee, leaving out two other mugs, and then poured a tall glass of juice.

Isaac all but bounded inside the kitchen, his eyes gleaming eagerly. He grinned when he saw the food.

"You're awesome," he said. I grinned back, handing him a plate and the glass of juice.

"I know," I said cheekily. Isaac turned and brought his food out into the main room.

"Lyra made breakfast," he said to someone. I heard the cautious padding of feet and turned to face Cora, who was dressed in a loose t-shirt and yoga pants, which I had given to her. She gave me a tiny smile.

The last few days had been slightly awkward between her and me. She was taken aback by my presence and was even more surprised when I told her who (and what) I was and why I was here. And of course, there was the matter of each of us healing from wounds we had given each other. We had made a sort of silent truce- which I kept by handing her a burrito and a cup of coffee- which was light and sugary, like she preferred (which Derek had told me).

"Hi," I greeted, smiling. She took the plate and mug.

"Hey," she replied, her dark eyes assessing me. Without saying anything else, she turned and walked out of the room right as Derek walked in, looked wonderfully rumpled and grumpy. I had learned quickly that Derek was not a morning person, unlike his sister.

Wordlessly, I handed him the coffee first, which he gulped down before I traded him the mug for the plate. I watched him with amusement as I poured him another cup, black, as he preferred. I handed him the mug again and he blinked.

"Thanks," he muttered. I smiled and laughed at him. I picked up my plate and placed the cup of top of it. With ease, I walked around him, slyly reaching down with my other hand to give his ass a friendly pinch.

I walked over to the table where Cora and Isaac were eating. Well, Isaac wasn't so much "eating" as he was "inhaling", which made me chuckle. I sat down at the head of the table and sipped my coffee.

Derek came in and sat down to my left and eyed Isaac. He shook his head then turned his gaze to his sister.

"Feeling better?" he asked. Cora nodded, eating her food with more curtsy than the other werewolf next to her. I raised my brow at Isaac, almost worried he would choke at the rate he was going.

"_Isaac_," I hissed quietly. His head snapped up and he had a bit of egg on the corner of his lip. I sighed and rolled my eyes at him. He swallowed and wiped his face, looking sheepish.

"Sorry," he said, ducking his head a little. I turned my gaze to Derek.

"I was thinking we should check up on that teacher, make sure she's not going around babbling about what she saw like that other girl in the hospital was," I suggested. Derek nodded, taking a bite of his food.

"Good idea," he agreed. He arched a brow at Cora. "Say here and rest. Isaac, we'll drop you off at school." Cora pouted and Isaac nodded, finishing his burrito before rising to go grab his school bag.

"Derek-," Cora protested but he cut her off with a look. She glared at him but looked down and finished her cup of coffee before rising and taking her plate back into the kitchen.

"Derek, really, you should let her go outside at least. Being coped up didn't exactly agree with her last time," I pointed out. He frowned.

"She needs to heal," he said flatly. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Going out for a run won't hurt her. If it helps soothe your mind, I can go with her when we get back."

"I think that's a _great_ idea," Cora said from across the room. She gave me a grateful smile, which I returned. I stood up before Derek could say anything. Cora walked over and took my plate and mug and I turned to look at Derek. Isaac jumped down from the top of the stairs and looked at both of us.

"Well, let's go," he urged. I smiled.

"Cora, call us if you need anything," I called out. Derek huffed and walked over, taking his car keys out of his pockets.

"Okay!" Cora called back. "Bye, Isaac!"

"Bye!" Isaac replied. He looked at me, adjusting his backpack on his shoulder. I turned and opened the door and followed Isaac down stairs and out of the building. Derek followed both of us before he opened the car. I jumped for the passenger seat and grinned when Isaac did too, and I shoved him in a sisterly way.

"Nuh uh, junior, the front is reserved for grown-ups only," I teased. Isaac pouted but opened the back door and climbed inside. I slid in next to Derek, who was fumbling with the radio. I winced as rock music began to blast and I swatted his hand aside.

"Seriously?" I muttered under my breath. I changed it to another station and snickered when "You're a Wolf" by Sea Wolf came on. I heard Isaac snigger as well.

Derek drove to the high school relatively quickly and pulled into the parking lot, choosing a spot near the front entrance. Isaac jumped and I couldn't resist rolling down my window.

"Have a good day at school, sweetie!" I called, giving him an overly sweet smile. Isaac gagged a little but laughed, waving at Derek and me before going towards the locker rooms.

"You're so weird," Derek muttered. I looked over and batted my eyelashes at him.

"You like me weird," I retorted, giving him a mischievous smile. He eyed me for a moment before smiling slowly, leaning towards me. I smirked and placed a finger over his lips.

"Teacher first, make out session later," I told him. His face clouded with disappointment.

"Just making out?" he asked gruffly, placing a small kiss on my finger, before nipping it. I gasped and yanked it away, wrinkling my nose at him.

"We'll see," I teased before getting out of the car.

Derek and I went in the school and down the hallways. I glanced around, noting we hadn't caused too much damage a few nights ago. We found the teacher's room, which we were told by Scott was Ms. Blake, and I saw it was empty.

"I'll wait outside," I told him. Derek moved forward to reach for the door handle and I snatched his hand, my eyes wide.

"What are you going to do, wait inside? Do you want to give her another heart attack?" I asked. Derek raised a brow at me.

"Because standing outside her classroom won't freak her out at all," he replied sarcastically. I made a face since he had a point.

Then we turned when we heard the rapid clicking of heels against the floor, coming closer to us. I shoved Derek inside the classroom and went in with him, closing the door quietly.

"Act casual," he instructed. I threw him a dry look.

"As oppose to some scary monster?" He ignored me since the door suddenly flung open and the teacher turned to close it, before resting her forehead against it. I absently noticed how cute her dress and cardigan were before she turned and let out a startled scream.

It took a lot to not burst out laughing when Ms. Blake grabbed a long pointer and clenched it in her hands. I schooled my expression to be calm and friendly.

"What do you want? To threaten me? To tell me nobody's going to believe me? Try to scare me?" she blurted out. "Kill me?" I shook my head at her.

"No," I told her. Derek stepped forward a little which made her flinch.

"We were going to see if you were okay," he told her quietly.

"Physically or emotionally? Though I guess that presupposes I was emotionally okay before any of this and according to my therapist… that's been debatable for a long time," Ms Blake said. I smiled at her. Derek reached over and took the pointer from her hands.

"I think you're going to be okay," Derek said gently. She smiled and looked at me.

"Me too," I agreed.

"Obviously you've never taught high school, in 20 minutes I have to start two dozen teenagers on the _Crucible_, I honestly have no idea what I'm going to say," she admitted. I walked over and leaned on the desk next to Derek.

"The _Crucible_, huh? I never read that," I said conversationally.

"Yeah and I doubt any of my students really did either. Spark Notes always seems to be the way to go for them, then when you lecture them about it… blank faces."

"Well, why don't you start by telling them that it's an allegory for McCarthyism?" Derek suggested. I gaped at his back for a moment then closed my mouth.

"Is that a subtle way of suggesting I shouldn't say anything? Because I won't," the woman said sincerely, her expression worried. I stepped forward and took the pointer from Derek and passed it back to her. I subtly gestured for him to follow me, which he did.

"Who are you? Both of you?" Ms Blake asked when we were halfway out of the classroom. I looked at her as Derek slid past me to stand in the hallway.

"That's Derek. I'm Lyra," I told her.

"Jennifer," she replied. I smiled and nodded at her.

"See you around, Jennifer," I said kindly before turning and following Derek down the hall.

"McCarthyism, huh?" I asked after a moment. Derek chuckled.

"Don't act so surprised. I like reading," he said. I grinned at him.

"Derek Hale, book enthusiast and knowledgeable on McCarthyism. What other surprises do you have up your sleeve? Are you a secret genius?" I asked teasingly. Derek snorted.

"Obviously," he replied sardonically. I laughed at him as we exited the school.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

"He suggested _what?_"

Laughing, I looked over at Cora as we ran side by side down the street. She looked utterly flabbergasted, her chocolate eyes wide.

"I kid you not, he said 'McCarthyism'," I told her. She gave a small laugh of disbelief.

"Wow," she said.

We continued to jog, keeping to the quieter streets. We both wore black yoga pants, but she wore a black sports bra while mine was electric blue. Her hair was tired back in a sleek ponytail and mine was in a sloppy French braid, which she had done for me.

Once in a while, I would kick into a sprint and Cora and I would race along back alleyways. She seemed to be doing okay; her body was healed, inside and out once Derek and I had given her and Boyd the same treatment we had given to Isaac when he was hurt by the Alpha twins.

When she said she was satisfied, we went back to the loft space, where Derek was waiting for us. Cora turned and leapt up and the pull up bar Derek had installed and began doing chin ups, while I stretched out my legs.

I dropped into a lunge, raising my hands above me, stretching out my back muscles. Derek watched me heatedly, since Cora's back was to him. I smiled slowly and bent backwards, remembering what happened last time he saw me in this yoga position.

Fluidly, I brought my legs up over my head again and stood, smirking when I saw his eyes were nearly red with desire. I jumped up and grabbed the pull up bar, swinging up and pulling myself over it, so I had one leg up on it. I let my body drop as I hitched my other leg up on it so my upper body hung in the air.

Cora grunted softly next to me as I did my crunches, working my core strength. Every time I dropped down, I looked at Derek and grinned at him.

Suddenly, Cora gasped and let go, dropping to the floor. Derek frowned at her. I paused, looking at her while upside down. I pulled myself up again, gripping the bar. I rolled forward and twisted my body so I landed on my feet.

"Stop," Derek ordered. "You're obviously not done healing." Cora ignored him, moving over to begin doing push-ups. I stretched a little again to relax my muscles as I eyed the smaller wolf.

"Are you sure?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I'm done lying around," she stated.

"Then sit," Derek snapped.

"Are you going to help me go after them?" Cora challenged. I watched as Derek walked over to his sister and knocked her over, which made her gasp with anger. She stood and attacked him with a series of short range punches, which he easily deflected.

"Come on, fight back! I came back for this?" Cora laughed incredulously.

"I can't believe I got my ass thrown in a vault for three months for you," she said, turning her back on him. "All those rumors that I heard, powerful, new Alpha, one of the Hales, building a pack- do you know how long I wanted to hear something like that? Do you have any idea how it felt to find out you were alive?" Cora whirled to glare at Derek but I saw the agony in her expression. I moved to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She leaned against me, which surprised me a little, but pleased me nonetheless.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Derek said bitterly. I frowned at them.

Suddenly, the alarm started going off with the red light flashing "standby". I stepped away from Cora, not noticing how I stepped protectively in front of her and Derek.

"What's that?" Cora asked, her heart beating quickly.

"Trouble," I said through clenched teeth. I could smell them now and I scolded myself for letting my guard down.

The door opened, revealing the largest Alpha from the pack. His eyes were already red and he snarled, baring his large fangs. I snarled back, crouching. I lunged for him quickly, claws unsheathed.

"Wait!" Derek yelled. Suddenly Cora rushed forward, and the larger Alpha knocked her aside, slamming her into the wall. I growled in warning and struck him across the face, leaving his with bloody claw marks along his cheek bone.

The Alpha then grabbed Cora, who had tried attacking him to his side, slamming her to the ground by her throat.

"Ready for a rematch?" he challenged me and Derek. I heard Derek snarl threateningly.

Kali then entered the room, roaring and baring her teeth. Derek charged forward and I whirled back to the other Alpha, tackling him.

We grappled with each other, and he pinned me to the ground with his sheer size. He snapped at my throat and I bowed my back, kicking off my shoes. My claws tore through the socks I wore and I clawed at his gut in a cat-like motion. He howled and smacked me across the face, grabbing my hair and tossing me aside. This time it was me who slammed against the brick wall. Cora attacked again, but only ended up being pinned to the ground by her throat again.

Suddenly a pained howl ripped through the air and everyone froze. My heart nearly stopped as I saw Kali slam a metal pole through Derek's back, causing him to cry out in agony. She didn't remove it and my head whipped around when I sensed _his_ presence.

Deucalion entered the room with a calm air around him, his cane sweeping back and forth as he made his way over to Derek. I stood and snarled at the larger Alpha who was holding Cora down.

"Now, now, behave," Deucalion said easily. I looked over at him and bared my teeth, my claws itching to rip him apart.

"Everybody done? Because just listening to that was exhausting," he announced. He folded up his cane and sat in front of Derek, his expression eerily pleasant.

"So, let's chat."

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I could feel my flesh trying to heal itself around the rod, which only caused more blood to fall. I choked a little as blood filled my lungs. Pain ripped through my body and I tried to keep myself collected, refusing to look weak in front of this man.

"Sorry about this, Derek, I asked Kali to be gentle but…" Deucalion trailed off. I stared at the floor and grunted as Kali moved the pole.

"This is me being gentle," Kali replied. I closed my eyes briefly and felt tremors begin to rack my body.

"Let her go," I demanded, panting. "Let both of them go."

Deucalion motioned vaguely with his fingers and the other Alpha released Cora. I saw her dash forward but Lyra intercepted her, grabbing her arm. Lyra growled menacingly at the other Alpha, who stood and bared his teeth at her. Cora struggled against Lyra's hold and I shook my head at her, meeting her eyes.

"No," I said under my breath. Cora looked at Lyra, whose eyes locked with mine. They were red, full of anger, an anger I have never seen in her. But when she held my gaze for a brief moment, I saw she was also scared, for Cora, and for me. She knew what these Alphas could do to a werewolf.

"See? We're not unreasonable," Deucalion said.

"What do you want? You want to kill me?" I asked harshly, struggling to breathe.

"You really think I'm that boring? To throw me in with sociopaths like your uncle… I'm a man with far more vision that simple murder, in fact I'm here to show you just how much vision a blind man can have," he told me, removing his glasses. His eyes were pure red, clouded with no pupils that glowed nightmarishly.

"Deucalion, Kali, let Derek _go_." I could feel Lyra's fury building up in the room, making it hotter and more stifling.

"Is that you, Lyra?" Deucalion asked. "Well, darling, it's been a while since I've seen you."

"It's been a while since you've seen anything," Lyra snapped. Deucalion chuckled but there was an edge to the sound.

"Why should we, little wolf?" Kali asked mockingly. "Are you going to stop us?"

"Oh, Kali," Lyra laughed, "Do you really want me to kick your ass again?" Kali snarled horribly.

"That's not what I remember happening last time, you bitch!" I turned my head and wheezed as the pole jerked against my spine. Lyra's eyes were glittering.

"Really? Because I remember breaking your jaw before your friend got his claws in my back," Lyra replied quietly.

"Ladies, ladies," Deucalion said calmly. "Let's all settle down, hmm?" Lyra glared at the older Alpha.

"Sure thing," Kali said silkily before twisting the pole again. Lyra snarled as I gasped. She shoved Cora behind her as she faced Kali, looking like she was ready to lunge at any second.

"You're killing him!" Cora screamed.

"Not yet, little sister, but I could," Kali stated, leaning over me. I clenched my fists and closed my eyes, ignoring the constant flashes of pain that came from not being able to heal.

"Who knows if it's five minutes or five hours before it's too late to take this thing out, but just to be on the safe side, Duke, you might want to get to the point." Deucalion tilted his head in Lyra's direction then back at me.

"Now you see the one problem with being in an Alpha pack. Everybody wants to make the decisions! Me, I'm more about discovering new talents, like you," Deucalion said.

"Not interested," I growled through clenched teeth.

"But you haven't even heard my pitch," the Alpha argued. I inhaled sharply as Kali twitched the pole, causing it to jerk against my lungs.

"You want me to kill my own pack."

"No, I want you to kill one of them. Do that and I won't have to ask you to kill the others; you'll do it on your own.," Deucalion explained. "I did it, Ennis did, Kali did- tell him what it's like, Kali, to kill one of your own."

"Mmm, liberating," the she wolf purred.

"Listen to her, Derek, you really want to stay beholden to a couple of maladjusted teenagers bound to become a liability? And believe me, they will become liability, in fact- I have a feeling one of them is getting himself into trouble right now," Deucalion hinted, sighing. Lyra snarled again.

"What do you want with Isaac?" she demanded. "If you or any of your wolves lay another claw on him…"

"My, my, Lyra, you're still full of _fire_, aren't you? We both know what happens when you lose your temper," Deucalion commented. His brows arched under his sunglasses. Underneath the pain, I felt a whirlwind of questions buzz through my mind.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

If Deucalion could see, we would be staring each other down. The room was flooded with tension, with every wolf ready to strike. Cora was as tense as a wire behind me and I kept my eye on Ennis, who was staring me down.

My heart was pounding fiercely, a combination of rage and fear. I watched as Derek began coughing up blood while I was helpless, I knew if I moved a single toe Kali wouldn't hesitate to send that pole through Derek's heart.

"Pity I never considered you to join us, Lyra, I'm sure you would make a lovely addition," Deucalion said.

"As if I would join you," I snapped. Deucalion just tilted his head a little, making a humming noise before turning his attention back to Derek.

"See, the reason I'm always invested in new talent is simple- we all know a pack is strongest due to its individual parts, the stronger the individual parts, the greater the whole," Deucalion explained, straightening his cane.

"When I lost my sight, one of my Betas assumed I wasn't fit for my role anymore. He tried to take it from me. Killing him taught me something about Alphas I didn't know they could do- his power was added to mine. I became stronger, faster, more powerful than I'd ever been. I tested this new ability to assume the power of your own by killing another one; in fact I killed them all. I took the individual parts and became a greater individual whole." I snarled in warning as he crouched next to Derek, running his hands over his face lightly.

"Hm, you're right, Kali. He looks like his mother," Deucalion said agreeably. I noticed Cora had a weird look on her face out of the corner of my eye. I clenched my fists, gritting my teeth. I trembled as my wolf longed to lunge forward, to rip through Deucalion's throat.

"You'll get to know me, Derek, like she did," Deucalion continued, straightening.

"I know you, I know what you are. You're a fanatic," Derek hissed, glaring at the older Alpha.

"Know me? You've never seen anything like me. I am the Alpha of the Alphas," Deucalion declared, as lightning began to strike. I tensed, growling, crouching in front of Cora again. I could feel Deucalion's power bleed into the room, which would make any wolf- Alpha or not- cower in fear. I bared my teeth, however, and ignored the electrical power that snapped through the air.

"I am the apex of apex predators, I am death, destroyer of worlds! _I am the demon wolf!_" he shouted, his glasses cracking along the lenses.

Cora cowered away behind me, whimpering softly. Kali took the pole out of Derek, Deucalion removed his shattered glasses. I growled and growled, my eyes never leaving those red, milky depths.

"I hate it when that happens," Deucalion said calmly, as if nothing happened. He walked over to Kali, who dropped the bloody pole, and took her arm. She led him away but I stepped boldly forward when they were even with me. Cora scampered over to Derek, kneeling beside him.

"I know what you are, and I'm not afraid of you. You're not the only one with power from killing our kind. Or did you forget when I killed your pack from five years ago?" I asked, tilting my head slowly. Kali bared her teeth and I snarled viciously at her.

"Not of all them died," Deucalion said lowly, turning his head at me.

"Mmm, no, I guess that was my mistake. But it was enough, the ten or so I killed. You were just lucky that you had thirty wolves and I was alone," I declared quietly, stepping back. Deucalion didn't say anything and Kali led him from the room, with Ennis trailing him.

When they were gone, I turned and rushed over to Derek. I kneeled next to him and ripped his shirt open, examining the wound. I looked at Cora, trying not to see the new found fear in her eyes that was directed at me.

"Help me move him to the table," I said urgently. Cora nodded and we lifted, me taking the brunt of his weight before we laid him on the table. He gasped in pain and I ordered Cora to bring me a bowl of warm water and clean rags. She ran off quickly and within moments brought it to me.

Slowly, I cleaned Derek's wounds, sighing with relief as they healed. I cleaned out the wound as best as I could before it closed. The rest would be internal healing, which I couldn't help him with.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

When I opened my eyes again, I noticed I was now on the couch instead of the table. I looked over and saw Lyra sitting in the chair beside me, her legs curled up against her as she quietly read a book. _The Crucible_.

Lyra glanced at me and saw I was awake. She lowered the book and gave me a hesitant smile, while she unfolded her legs and leaned forward.

"Hey," she said quietly "Are you feeling better?"

Ignoring her, I sat up, grunting at the soreness in my back. I look at the room and saw it was clean, without a hint that the other Alphas were here. The blood was cleaned up, the pole was missing and even the air didn't smell like them. It just smelled like bleach and lemon oil.

"Derek?"

I turned at Lyra's soft tone, looking her in the eyes. I watched the woman I thought I knew, before realizing I didn't know her at all. It was sickening and yet, I still saw her as the fiery, stubborn girl that had confronted me in the woods about the Alphas.

"I'm fine," I replied finally. "Where's Cora?"

"Resting in her room. She's a little sore from…" Lyra gestured a little with her hands, shrugging. I sat up all the way, turning so I faced Lyra.

"Are you going to tell me?" I asked in a soft voice. Lyra's eyes darkened.

"Tell you what?" I shook my head at her.

"You know what," I said firmly.

"No, I don't-,"

"_Damn it, Lyra!_" I shouted, standing up so I could tower over her. "Enough with the fucking lies!" She tilted her head back and met my angry gaze. She stood slowly, until we were face to face, our breaths mingling.

Our gazes clashed, heating, but she turned her head away, letting her hair fall as a curtain between us. She walked away from me, to the window. She leaned against the frame and I saw her rest her forehead against the frame. Then she began quietly talking.

"Five years ago, a pack of Alphas attacked my home in Colorado. I was out running with my sister, Abigail, when they attacked. By the time we go back, everyone was dead. I watched my father get killed then seconds later a wolf ripped my sister apart," she said, looking at me. "Deucalion."

I clenched my jaw at this but nodded, motioning for her to continue.

"In that moment, I became an Alpha. I shifted into my true wolf form and attacked him, but only left him injured, not dead. I attacked the other wolves, killing ten, before I realized I couldn't fight off the other twenty, not with the injuries I had. So I ran. God, I ran and ran like I never had before. I left my family behind, leaving them to rot, while I hid away like a coward. After a while, I began to notice I was faster, stronger, more fierce and bloodthirsty than I was before. When I tracked the Alphas, I learned their ways and watched as they killed wolves, just because they could. I watched their strength grow and I knew- I knew if I let myself go, if I ever lost control for even a second, I would become like them. You weren't entirely wrong by calling Deucalion a fanatic. He is. He is addicted to the power we get from killing other werewolves, and he's not going to stop, not ever. That's why I came here and offered to help you. I knew he would want you to become part of his pack, but first you had to do this… You had to kill one of your own. I didn't know he would go so far as to take your sister…. I never saw him do this. And I'm sorry, I would have saved her if I knew…" she trailed off, lowering her head. I saw one lone tear fall down her dusky cheek.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked. Her gaze met mine, wet with tears that fell from guilty, miserable eyes.

"How could I? How could I tell you all of this? Cora can't even look me in the eye and I hate the look you have in your eyes now. I lied because I wanted to protect you and that was my mistake. I never wanted to keep this from you. I just never wanted you to know this…this side of me," she finished, looking away again.

"I am a monster," she whispered. "I might not be as powerful as him, but I am just as much a demon as he."

"That's not true."

Lyra and I turned at the sound of Cora's quiet voice. My sister stood in a black sweater, her arms crossed as she looked at Lyra with her dark eyes.

"You're not a monster," Cora continued, moving o stand next to me. "You care too much to be anything like Deucalion. You protected me, even after everything I did to you. You took care of Derek when he was hurt, you helped him find Boyd. I see how you are with Isaac, he looks up to you. Scott trusts you."

"A few good deeds don't erase what I've done in the past. It doesn't bring back those I killed."

"But you chose to step away from that life. You chose not to become addicted to that power, you chose to help others, not kill them. If you were like Deucalion, you would have killed all of us by now. But you haven't. That's what makes you better, Lyra. The person you became, not the person you were."

Lyra stared at my sister, tears spilling down her cheeks. She looked away, to the setting sun. Cora stepped over to her, touching her arm. Lyra flinched with surprise, looking down at the younger werewolf.

"I'm not afraid," Cora said gently. Lyra released a shaky breath and Cora embraced her. Lyra's eyes widened before her expression crumpled. She hugged my sister back, crying quietly.

I watched as Lyra hugged Cora, realizing this was the first time I had ever seen her lean on someone like that. Sure, she had offered her fair share of pats and arm rubs, but she had never embraced someone quite like she was right now. I frowned at the tug I felt for her.

When Cora pulled away, Lyra wiped the tears from her eyes before looking at me hesitantly. I stared back at her for a long moment, my arms crossed over my chest. Eventually, I sighed and relaxed.

"Cora's right. You're not like them," I said firmly. Lyra's lips curved into a grateful, relieved smile and she sighed.

"Thank you," she murmured. She looked at Cora. "Both of you."

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

Derek and Cora went out for a bit to grab some food. They offered to bring me something, which I declined. I opted to stretch out on the couch and relax. I closed my eyes and drifted for a bit.

I was aware when they returned, but I kept my eyes closed, my hands folded over my stomach. But I was a bit surprise when I felt a soft pair of lips brush over mine, along with stubble scraping along my chin. I squealed slightly, startled. I opened my eyes at stared up at Derek, who was watching me with amusement.

Blushing because I squealed, I shoved him away. I sat up and stared at him before looking around, then pinning him with a glare.

"You can't just kiss me when your sister is here!" I whispered sharply. Derek chuckled, leaning down again. I leaned back, but he continued forward, trapping me between his arms and the back of the couch. His lips hovered over mine for a long moment.

"Why not?" he asked. I gaped at him.

"Because!" I hissed. He smiled slowly.

Then his lips were against mine, warm and insistent. I sighed, giving in, reaching up to place a hand on his jaw, scraping his stubble with my nails. Our lips met and parted gently, his tongue sliding along mine, exploring. His teeth nipped my lips gently and I tugged on his bottom lip.

"Oh, great," someone moaned. I gasped and jerked back, my eyes meeting Isaac's from across the room. How long had he been standing there? When did he get back?

"Shit, ah," I stumbled, shoving Derek aside again so I could stand. I looked at Isaac and then threw up my hands in the air.

"Oh fuck it! Fine, you caught us! It's not like you're going to need therapy for seeing me _kiss_ Derek," I said. Cora walked into the room, her cheeks a little pink.

"Oh God," I mumbled, smacking my forehead with my palm. "Not you too."

"Uh, supernatural hearing," Cora said. I just laughed.

"Sorry," I said sheepishly. They both shrugged. I looked over at Derek, who was now over by the window. He turned and he poured himself a drink in the glass he was holding. I frowned. I had never seen Derek drink anything stronger than a beer and I watched as he poured the scotch, filling the glass halfway. He gulped it quickly, turning to look back outside.

"So what were you guys up to today?" Isaac asked casually. "Besides having secret make out sessions."

"Isaac!" I growled, glaring. He just grinned at me, his eyes glinting with mischief.

"Isaac," Derek said quietly. I turned at his serious tone. I saw the look in his eyes and felt my stomach sink.

"I think you should stay somewhere else now," Derek suggested, his voice grave. I gaped at him in shock. I looked at Cora and saw she was equally as surprised. She backed out of the room, sensing the incoming awkwardness.

"Derek," I said. "What are you doing?" Isaac looked at me with wide eyes then back at Derek. He strode across the room to stand closer to him.

"Well, I don't get it, did something happen?" Isaac asked, confused.

"It's just not going to work with you here. I got Cora now, and with Lyra here too, it's too much. I need you out tonight." Isaac laughed a little with disbelief. I stared at Derek.

"Derek, what the hell?" I demanded. "We have plenty of room!" I nearly felt as blind-sided as Isaac did. Why was Derek acting like this? What happened to the guy I was kissing two minutes ago?

"Where am I supposed to go?" Isaac asked.

"Somewhere else," Derek replied evenly.

"Did I do something wrong, Derek?" Isaac's voice was low but panicked, like any wolf would be if they were being rejected by their Alpha. I walked over to Isaac and placed a comforting hand on his arm, glaring at Derek.

"You're doing something wrong right now by not leaving."

"Derek!" I snapped.

"Oh c'mon," Isaac breathed, his heart pounding. He reached up and covered my hand with his own, squeezing tightly.

"Just get out," Derek ordered.

"Come on-,"

"_Go!_" Derek whirled quickly, throwing his glass right at Isaac. In one rapid movement, I was in front of him, snagging the glass from the air, which stopped centimeters away from my face, inches away from its intended target. I heard Isaac's shallow breaths and I nearly snarled at Derek. How dare him! We both knew about Isaac's past, and this would only bring back bad- horrible!- memories.

"Derek Hale," I growled lowly, my eyes glaring at him. "I cannot believe you."

"It's for his own good!" Derek shouted at me. "Just get him out of here!"

"Come on," I said to Isaac, turning to him. Isaac picked up his backpack and I nudged him gently out the door, grabbing Derek's car keys.

Isaac was quiet as I drove him away from the loft, his eyes looking out the window at the rain that fell heavily.

"Lyra?" he asked finally. "What did he mean it's for my own good? Why did he kick me out?" I sighed and looked at him. I knew he was going to ask this and it was only until Derek had said that was when I realized why Derek was pushing away Isaac. He didn't want to put him at risk with the Alphas, or with him possibly giving in and killing him.

"The Alphas attacked us today," I explained. "They told Derek he would have to kill one of you. I think Derek wants to protect you by pushing you away. He doesn't mean it, Isaac, you know he doesn't."

"Is he scared?" I shook my head.

"I don't know," I admitted quietly.

"Are _you_ scared?" I looked over at him for a moment.

"No," I said firmly. "I'm going to protect all of you, so I can't be scared." Isaac arched a brow at me.

"Well, you can still do that and be afraid. Being afraid means you care." I thought back to Cora's earlier words and nodded.

"Then I think Derek's afraid. Maybe I am, just a little. These Alphas are going to be difficult to take down…and I don't know how much we're going to lose in this fight."

"You mean who we're going to lose," Isaac concluded. I stopped in front of Scott's house, looking at Isaac again.

"Exactly. So right now, Derek and I are going to find out how to keep you guys safe." Isaac nodded, looking down at his hands.

"If you need anything…" I began, grasping one of his hands with mine. Isaac looked at me, giving me a weak smile.

"I'll call you," he said. I gave him a sympathetic look and leaned over, kissing his cheek briefly.

"Be safe," I told him. He nodded and then got out of the car, running through the rain to Scott's door. I saw Melissa McCall answer the door and immediately ushered him inside. She peered out in the rain and she spotted me. She just nodded and I nodded back before turning around to go back to the loft.

When I got back, Cora had gone upstairs to go to sleep. Derek was sitting at the table still, brooding. I walked over to him and stood in front of him, shaking my head at him.

"What?" he asked bitterly. I sighed and sat down on his lap, stroking the back of his neck gently.

"I know why you did that," I told him. "You just didn't have to be such a jerk about it." Derek stared at me.

"You're not mad? Isaac…?"

"Is at Scott's. He'll be fine," I assured him. Derek sighed deeply and wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"I'm not mad," I said quietly, running my fingers through his short hair. "I'm just worried. About you, about Cora. About Isaac. Things got out of hand so quickly…"

"I know," Derek said grimly. "I guess the best thing we can do is help each other."

"And protect our pack," I agreed. Derek gazed up at me, his eyes a little surprised.

"Our pack?" he repeated. I smiled, leaning in to kiss him. He didn't respond at first but then he was kissing me back, deeply, thoroughly.

"Our pack," I repeated softly. Derek huffed a little at that, but then buried his face in the crook of my neck.

And for a long time, we simply held each other as the rain fell outside. I was lost in my thoughts like he was, and I absently stroked his hair while his thumb traced over the back of my other hand. It was simple touches and simple comfort, just like the sound of the rain and the sound of our hearts beating as one in the quiet, dark room.

Ooo0ooO

**Author's Note: Drama, angst, tears, oh my! Things are indeed escalating quickly… **

**Please let me know what you thought of this chapter!**

**Side note: Anything that happens between Ms Blake and Derek will be omitted from this story, obviously. I didn't even like her, but that's just me...**


	7. The Coup de Main

**Quick note: Anything in italics signals a flashback, memory or a thought. If it's used while someone is speaking, it's just for emphasis. Oh, and there's a reason this story is rated M! Enjoy.**

Chapter Six: The Coup de Main

(Lyra's POV)

_"Our pack?"_

_"Our pack," I repeated softly._

I stirred a little, turning on my side.

_Derek turned me on his lap, so I straddled him, with his hands running up my thighs slowly. Our lips only brushed at first, teasing._

_The rain continued to fall, sliding down the window panes like tears. Lightning flashed and I gasped as Derek scraped his teeth down my throat. He bit down on the tender flesh along my collarbone and I muffled my cry against his shoulder._

_Then he was scooping me up into his arms, so I was wrapped around him firmly, every inch of me against every inch of him. His eyes were dark but they stayed green as they stared into mine._

_"I want you," he said. "I want you to remember our first time every time it rains."_

My eyes opened slowly and I groaned when I saw the sunlight pouring in through the window. It was still partly cloudy but it was better then it looked last night.

I sighed.

Last night…

_Derek carried me upstairs, in a very human-like fashion. My heart pounded, echoing my need and my nerves. He kicked open his door before stepping inside his room, kicking it shut behind him._

_I looked around as he put me down. It faced out towards the city, like the main room downstairs did, and it also fashioned a large glass window, which was framed by dark colored drapes, which were opened._

_His bed dominated the center of the room, where it laid along the wall, covered in deep blue sheets. The rest of his furniture was minimal and made of a dark oak._

_A pair of lips skimmed over the curve of my shoulder and I sighed, my head lolling back to rest against Derek's shoulder, who pressed up against me from behind. I groaned low in my throat as his hands began to move over me slowly…_

I turned over, covering myself with a sheet. I was alone and judging by how high the sky was in the sky, it was late morning. I didn't hear anyone else though.

_My shirt was quickly deposited on the floor, which my jeans and boots soon followed, leaving me in nothing but a soft blue bra and matching boyshorts. I heard Derek's growl of approved as his hands trailed up the back of my thighs, cupping my bottom, tracing the edges of my panties. _

_His hands continued up and unhooked my bra, causing it to slide away. I gasped sharply as he knead my bare breasts, rolling and pinching my nipples slowly. I felt liquid tugs of heat and desire inside my body and I turned to face him._

_His eyes were now a blazing red and I smiled slowly. I placed my hands on his chest, trailing them down. My claws unsheathed themselves and I tore the shirt away, baring his chest. I eyed his rippling muscles, tracing them with my hands, causing him to inhale sharply. I looked up into his eyes again and smirked._

I sat there for a while, waiting to hear someone, anyone. But I was only greeted with silence. I frowned. Where was everyone?

_Derek and I fell on the bed, rolling across the sheets in a tangle of limbs and sensitized skin. I got him on his back and he gripped my hips roughly. I kissed him before trailing soft, teasing kisses down his throat, along his chest, down his stomach. I scraped my teeth along the pronounced vee of his hipbone, chuckling as his hips bucked beneath me._

_I unbuttoned his jeans and yanked them away quickly, before I then found myself on my back again. I smiled at the fierce look on Derek's face._

_"My turn," he growled._

_"Be my guest," I whispered huskily._

_His mouth and teeth did devastating things to my insides as he used them on my throat and breasts. I clenched him close as his teeth scraped over my breast, before moaning as he latched on to suckle. His tongue flicked over the tight bud and I dragged my nails through his hair, down his neck, along his shoulders._

_Then he left to trail his tongue down, lower and lower. I arched my back and rubbed my hips against him, begging him without words. He parted my thighs with his hands roughly before shredding my underwear. _

_Suddenly, he yanked me down the bed so my legs dangled over the edge, while he crouched on the floor, throwing them over his shoulders. I only got a brief glance of his gleaming, red eyes before he used his mouth on me, which nearly caused me to scream._

_His tongue parted my wet folds, devouring every inch of heated flesh. I struggled to bite my cries back as he licked my slit, and I threw my head back, growling with satisfaction. His fingers teased my entrance, and he thumbed my clit again and again, sending waves of heat and ecstasy flowing through me. _

_"Derek," I moaned. _

_The man had the audacity to smirk up at me before he shoved me back up the bed, filling me with one smooth stroke. I gasped and arched, letting him stretch me completely. I gripped his forearms at first, which bunched and gave, as he began the rapid, breathless pace._

_Wrapping my legs around his waist, I rolled my hips with his, losing myself. His eyes stared down into mine, and I dragged my nails, which quickly changed to claws, up his back. Derek grunted with pleasure and began pounding harder inside me, causing me to cry out. _

_I felt the heat and the pleasure build inside me in a way it never had before, so fully and completely, like he was filling every fiber of my being, marking me as his. I bared my teeth and growled with satisfaction again. He snarled back before our lips collided, causing a battle between teeth, tongues and lips._

_His lips left mine briefly, as his fangs trailed down my neck, nipping. I growled again and clenched him tighter, encouraging him to go faster. He then snarled again, burying his fangs in my shoulder. This time I roared as I tightened around him as we both came. I bit down on his shoulder as well as waves of release crashed through me and his rhythm sent us flying over the edge._

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Lyra. She was lying on her stomach, her hair thrown over the pillow, lips parted. I watched her ribcage rise and fall with every breath, tracing my eyes over her smooth, golden skin. Any bruises or bites we had left on each other from last night had healed.

She didn't move as I slid out of bed to put on my pants. The sheet left her back bare and I pulled it up to cover her modesty. I brushed a kiss on her shoulder blade and she stirred, murmuring softly, before falling back asleep.

I grabbed another t-shirt from a drawer, eyeing the shredded one on the floor, which laid next to the rest of our clothes. I stepped over them before quietly exiting the room, closing the door softly behind me.

"Well, well, someone has an interesting evening, did he?"

I ignored Peter, who was waiting for me downstairs. I went into the kitchen and poured myself some coffee. I walked back out into the main room and sat at the table, still ignoring the look Peter was giving me from the staircase. But after a few minutes, I glared at him.

"What?" I snapped. Peter raised his hands in a gesture of peace.

"Nothing," he said. "I just thought after a night like that, you'd be, well, less of a dick."

"Did you find anything else out about the pack?" I asked, sipping my coffee. Peter rolled his eyes at me.

"Yes, I did, as a matter of fact. How do you feel about making a little trip to the local library?" I set my mug aside and stood.

"Let's go."

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

Finally, I got out of bed and went to investigate, slipping on one of Derek's shirts. The loft seemed empty as I stood at the top of the stairs. I went down and found a half-empty cup of coffee, black. I frowned.

"So."

I whirled and saw Cora standing behind me, her arms crossed over her chest. She stood next to the window, where the sun brought out the reddish tints in her dark brown hair, as her dark eyes assessed me and my minimal amount of clothing. I barely resisted squirming.

"You and Derek, huh?" she asked, arching a brow. I winced.

"Uh, yeah," I said. I looked down at myself before peering back up at her. "This isn't exactly how I wanted you to find out."

"It's cool," Cora shrugged. "I kinda figured you two were, you know, already." I just winced again. Cora looked outside.

"I'm going out with Boyd today to cover patrols," she said.

"Are you sure you guys are ready?" I asked. She nodded.

"Yeah, we're good," she replied. She then shoved off the wall and walked past me. "I'll see you later."

"Bye," I said, glancing at her as she walked away. The younger werewolf seemed distracted, especially since she was looking down at her phone as she left the apartment.

Shaking my head, I decided to ignore it. I looked outside again. There were still threatening clouds off in the distance but other than that the weather was holding up.

"Calm before the storm," I muttered to myself.

Two hours later, freshly showered and dressed, I went out. I finally took my own car, well, my still stolen car. Derek had all but babied it when I first brought it over, which caused me to roll my eyes at him profoundly.

The sleek A4 sat next to Derek's small SUV in the basement of the building. I frowned, wondering if he had gone off somewhere on foot or if Peter had showed up to do patrols with him. But why would they need a car?

Shrugging, I slid inside, and then smiled. The interior was spotless and smelled comfortably of leather, with lingering hints of Derek, which I found comforting. I turned on the car, shaking my head at the thought of boys and their toys.

_Speaking of boys,_ I thought. I missed Isaac, even though I had seen him less than twenty four hours ago. His absence in the loft place had left a gap.

Driving away, I turned on the radio and rolled down the front windows, letting the cool, electrical air flow in, tossing my hair about.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

"Cora and Boyd told me about this after they got back from their early morning patrol," Peter said, laying out a large set of blueprints in front of me. I studied them with a small frown.

"So I decided to check out the building's layout," he continued, pointing. "Guess where our favorite hunters are staying?"

"The top floor," I said, leaning my hands against the table. Peter shook his head.

"No, the _second_ to the top floor," he commented, gesturing to the pages again. "Look at the leases, right there." I picked them up and rifled through them, before my eyebrows shot up.

"Are you serious?" I asked. Peter's lips thinned.

"No," he replied. "Looks like our Alpha pack decided to make their den right over the Argent's heads."

"We have to tell everyone else. Scott, Lyra," I began but Peter raised his hand.

"Wait, Derek. Before you go all crazy with this, remember- Deucalion is smart. If we know where they live, he knows we know. We can't go storming into a trap, we have to strategize." I nodded.

"Okay," I agreed. "Let's get everyone ready tonight then."

"I'll make some calls," Peter drawled, pulling out his phone.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

"No, we _have _to go, Coach is-,"

"Scott, you can't be serious! You're worried about _cross country_ when-,"

"I know, okay, Isaac! But with all this happening we need to do something, I don't know, normal!"

I pulled up to the curb in front of the high school and smiled as Isaac and Scott gawked at me.

"Holy _shit!_ Is that an A4?"

I turned my head and saw Stiles running over, his eyes huge. I pictured him with his tongue hanging out and laughed.

"Hello, boys," I greeted. Stiles skidded to a halt next to the others, but still managed to kind of run into Scott, who ignored him.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat," I said, unlocking the doors. I stopped Stiles with a narrowed eyed look.

"Don't you have a Jeep?" Stiles's jaw dropped.

"What, yes, but- ah, _c'mon, Lyra!_ Please, please, let me ride in your super awesome car, _please?_" he begged. I stared him down then smiled widely.

"Oh, all right," I sighed dramatically. All the boys clambered in eagerly. Isaac slid inside next to me and I leaned over, hugging him. He gave me his crooked smile as he pulled away.

"How are you? How are you doing at McCall's?"

"Hey!" Scott protested. I looked at him and grinned. He grinned back.

"Where to, boys?" I asked, turning to face forward, shifting the car out of park and into drive, roaring away from the curb.

"Mexican!"

"No, dude, burgers!"

"We just _ate_ burgers-!"

"I don't care!"

I sighed and looked over at Isaac, who just reached over and patted my hand, his eyes positively gleaming with laughter.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

Peter and I went back to my loft, where Boyd and Cora were waiting for us. They turned when we entered the main room, both of their expressions serious.

"I saw your friend pick up Scott, Stiles and Isaac from school," Boyd said to me.

"Lyra," Cora reminded him. He just shrugged his massive shoulders. Peter moved over to the table and began laying out the layouts again, along with the building paperwork that was provided at the archives in the library.

"So when are we going to strike?" Cora asked, leaning over my shoulder, looking down at the pages. Peter huffed.

"You two," he sighed. "So eager to go jump into the middle of a tempest without a lifejacket."

"Enough with the metaphors, Peter," I snapped. "We have to figure out how we're going to attack, so are you going to help us or not?"

There was a long pause as Peter and I stared each other down. Finally, he gave a tired sigh and crossed his arms.

"Very well," he replied.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

Once the boys had finally eaten and the bickering ceased, I dropped Stiles and Isaac back off at the school, since Scott had to go to work. Stiles offered to drive Isaac back to Scott's, so we parted ways, after I gave Isaac a good bye hug and reminded him not to be a stranger, which only made him laugh.

Scott seemed quieter once the other two were gone and I glanced over at him while he sat in the passenger seat. His dark brown eyes stared out the side window, eyeing the clouds.

"You okay?" I asked.

"It's just something Stiles told me, something he found out with Lydia," he said. I arched a brow.

"Go on," I urged. He sighed and looked at me.

For the rest of the car ride, he explained to me the situations behind the murders going on, and Stiles's theory on sacrifices. He then explained how Stiles and Lydia found out about the Celtic Druids, how there was good Druids then bad Druids- also called a Darach, meaning "dark oak".

"Darach," I repeated very softly. I stopped the car in front of the animal clinic and stared at Scott.

"You don't think…?" Scott shook his head.

"I have no idea," he said.

"And who told Stiles and Lydia about the Druids?" Scott glanced towards the clinic, his eyebrow raising a little.

"Deaton, actually," he replied. I looked towards the front door and then back at Scott.

"Mind if I go to work with you?"

We walked in through the back, which caused the dogs and cats to bark and hiss in alarm. I glanced at Scott.

"How exactly do you work here when you're, you know, you?" I asked. He shrugged.

"You get to use it, I guess. I can heal them to when they're sick. I can take some of their pain away." I frowned consideringly as Scott opened the door for me, leading into the examination room where Isaac had gone into the tub of ice.

"I didn't know we were going to have visitors today." I turned a little and saw Dr. Deaton standing by the large sink, wiping his hands with a paper towel. His dark eyes glanced me over and I tried for a smile.

"Hi," I said. "I don't think we got properly introduced. I'm Lyra, Lyra Peterson."

"I'm Dr. Deaton, which you probably already know," he greeted, walking over to shake my hand. "Some call me Deaton, or just Allen." I really smiled now.

"The man with all the answers," I commented, leaning against the table. Deaton shrugged.

"I know many things, but maybe not everything," he corrected. He walked over to the chair next to the cabinets, where a small carrier sat. I heard the muffled whimpers of a dog inside.

"Come on," Deaton said soothingly, opening up the little gate. He pulled out a young, scruffy looking dog with a dog tag that read "Bullet".

"I found him," Scott told me. "His owner, Kyle, was one of the…sacrifices." I frowned and looked at the dog, who whimpered again. I reached over and the whimpering increased.

"Shush," I said softly, taking the dog from Deaton, who didn't protest. Bullet whimpered again, more quietly, and then relaxed as I petted his head and scratch his ears. I kept myself silent and eventually, the dog nuzzled up against my chest and neck, sighing.

"Poor thing," I murmured sympathetically, sensing its distress. "I think he knows something is wrong."

"So do I," Deaton said, reaching over to take him from me. "And it doesn't have to do with just the murders. Like I told Scott and the sheriff, not that long ago- around the time the crows caused all that damage at the high school- all the cats that were here, even some of the dogs, died."

"Do I want to know how?" I asked, scrunching up my nose uncomfortably. Deaton shook his head slowly. He placed Bullet on the examination table then administered a quick shot.

"The Alphas," I said, frowning. "Do you think they're the reason the animal are distressed or is it because of this…this dark Druid."

"Darach," Deaton amended. I nodded stiffly.

"Both," he replied. Scott sighed and moved over to the metal table, leaning against it.

"What are we suppose to do?" he asked, looking at me then Deaton. Deaton put Bullet down, and the small dog walked over to me, scratching my leg softly. I picked him up again and sat down on another chair, where he laid down on my lap and I stroked his fur.

"What do you think we _should_ do?" Deaton challenged. Scott looked frustrated, running his hands through his hair. He looked up helplessly.

"I don't know what else to do," Scott admitted. "Do I keep trying to get them to listen to me? Do I tell Derek he's going to get them all killed?" His gaze shifted to me.

"How do you save someone who doesn't want to be saved?" he asked quietly. His eyes went back to the vet.

"How do I stop them?" he asked finally. Deaton leaned in closer to the boy, his eyes calm and direct.

"Don't stop them," the vet said. "Lead them."

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

"We could go in through the roof-,"

"The _roof?_"

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"Yeah, not the roof!"

I closed my eyes and drowned out Boyd and Cora's incessant bickering. Peter was trying to reason with them, but of course, they ignored him.

It was one of the few times I wondered why I chose to have a pack consisted of teenagers.

I moved into the kitchen and pulled out my phone.

"Hello?"

"Isaac," I said.

"Oh…hey, Derek," he replied.

"Is Scott with you?"

"No, he got a ride to work with Lyra. Why?"

"I need you to do me a favor." Isaac laughed.

"You kick me out then want me to do you a _favor?_" he asked incredulously.

"As your Alpha, yes," I snapped.

"Never used the Alpha card before," he muttered.

"Listen, just tell me when-,"

The sound of the front door opening had me turning. Scott and Lyra entered the room, both of their eyes searching.

"Never mind," I muttered, hanging up.

Walking into the main room, I looked at Lyra, who stared back at me. She wore faded blue jeans that hugged her legs and a black-purple flannel top along with her favored boots. I eyed her curves, remembering how I got to trace every inch of them…

"I know where they are," Scott said, standing forward, interrupting my thoughts.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

When we left the clinic, Scott asked me if I could go over to Allison's apartment building. He surprised me by pulling out an arrow from his pocket, showing it to me.

"She used those on the night we trapped Boyd and Cora at the school?" I asked with surprise. He nodded.

"Hmph," I said. I pulled up to the building, looking up at it.

"I'll wait here," I told him. He nodded again and got out of the car, going into the building quickly.

I leaned back and turned the car off, but kept the radio on. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to relax, letting my supernatural hearing so all the work. I mostly heard the ramblings of people talking, the opening and closing of doors, the faint _whirr_ of the elevator working.

After twenty minutes, I heard feet running in my direction. I opened my eyes just as Scott pried the car door open and flung himself inside. His eyes were huge and his heart was knocking loudly against his ribs.

"Scott!" I said in alarm. "What's wrong?"

"Deucalion," he panted. "I just ran into Deucalion." My eyes widened and I immediately turned the car on and sped off without a backwards glance.

"Are you okay?" I demanded. "Did he do anything?"

"No, no," Scott said. "Lyra, he lives there. He lives in the same freaking building Allison does." The panic in Scott's tone made it slightly high pitched. I pressed my lips together in a thin line.

"We have to tell Derek," I said. Scott nodded.

When we got to the building, I parked the car, barely noticing how Peter's car was now next to Derek's, as Scott and I dashed upstairs to the loft.

I opened the door with the code, and we walked in the main room quickly. I immediately saw Peter, who stood with Cora and Boyd. I sensed movement to my right and looked over and saw Derek. He was wearing a long sleeved gray shirt and jeans, along with boots. I stared a little, before Scott spoke up.

"I know where they are," he announced. "Well, _we_ know where they are." I watched as Derek moved over to the long table to stand next to Peter.

"Same building as the Argent's, we know," Derek said. I raised my eyebrows at him.

"Cora and I followed the twins," Boyd informed us, looking at Scott, ignoring me. I ignored him as well.

"Then they want you to know," I argued, walking to the table, looking at Derek then Peter.

"Or more likely, they don't care," Peter replied. Scott approached the table, which is covered in layouts, blueprints and looked up at Derek.

"What is this?" he asked.

"Isn't it obvious? The schemers are scheming, coming up with a _coup de main_, better known as a preemptive strike," Peter said to him.

"How long have the schemers been scheming without letting fellow schemers know?" I asked angrily, glaring up at Derek. Seriously, secrets? Now? His eyes seemed to flicker with guilt but he looked away.

"You're going after them?" Scott asked with shock.

"Tomorrow, and you're going to help us," Derek ordered. I arched a brow at him.

"They're one floor above them in the penthouse, right above Allison," Derek continued.

"We know," I said sharply. I saw Peter's brows go up but Derek's face remained expressionless.

"So kill them first, that's the plan?" Scott demanded.

"They won't even see it coming," Boyd said pointedly.

"Wrong," I growled. The Beta gave me a dirty look but I ignored him still, only remembering how he used my head as a battering ram against a tree.

"Why is the default plan always murder, just _once_, can someone try to come up with something that doesn't involve killing everyone?" Scott asked with exasperation. I looked up at Derek, my eyes challenging him.

"Could you?" I mouthed soundlessly. His eyes only narrowed.

"You never get tired of being so blandly moral, do you? Not that I disagree with him," Peter said, while leaning towards Derek.

"I do. Why do we need this kid?" Cora demanded. I looked over at her with impatience.

"This kid helped save your life," I told her. She quieted down.

"You know we can't just sit back and wait for them to make the first move," Derek said quietly.

"We can't beat a pack of Alpha's," Scott argued.

"That's why we're going after Deucalion, just him," Cora said. I looked back at her sharply.

"Really now?" I drawled, resting my weight on one leg as I leaned back, crossing my arms.

"Cut off the head of the snake, and the body dies," Boyd said, mostly to Scott.

"Only this isn't a snake, it's a hydra, and like Scott says- they're all Alphas," Peter said, crossing his own arms.

"Alphas who draw power from killing others like us," I reminded everyone.

"Deucalion's still the leader," Derek said, giving me pointed look. Peter sighed loudly.

"Let's hope so, because you know what happened when Hercules cut off the heads of the hydra?" he asked, looking at each and every one of us.

"Two more grew back in its place," Scott finished in a low voice. Peter looked at him appraisingly.

"Someone's been doing their summer reading," he remarked.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

Lyra snarled as she turned away from the table, walking across the room to pace. Her eyes were blazing a red-violet, and I saw her claws come out briefly as her temper got the best of her for a brief moment.

"This is the stupidest fucking idea I have ever heard," she ranted. "You really don't get it, do you?" Her gaze went to me.

"I guess a pole through your back wasn't enough! Or a fucking threat! Did you hear Deucalion? He's killed our kind without blinking, and you guys want to _kill him_, against his other Alphas?"

"You've killed our kind," I said very softly. Lyra froze and looked back at me, her expression a mix of shock and fury.

Then she was in my face within a space of a heartbeat, her fangs bared, eyes red.

"That's right, Derek," she growled. "I have. Wasn't that fun to throw it in my face? Did you need to remind yourself I could kill everyone in this room, even you, despite the fact we fucked?"

"I guess not though," she continued, stepping back. "Because you don't need to be reminded, not when it's always replaying in the back of your mind. If you think you can take on Deucalion, be my guest." I struggled not to stiffen at her choice of words.

_"Be my guest," she purred, tilting her head back to expose her dusky throat, which I trailed my lips down…_

"Just don't expect me to join your little suicide party," she finished, turning. "C'mon, Scott, I'll take you home." I saw Scott scamper after her quickly and the main door slid shut loudly. Awkward silence filled the void she left behind.

"Well, you certainly know how to fuck up anything good in your life, don't you Derek?" Peter asked.

"Not cool," Cora said under her breath. Boyd was the only one who stayed stone silent. I tried to ignore the guilt that was wrapping its way around my heart and the overwhelming urge to run after her and apologize.

But I forced myself to stand still, before turning back to the blueprints. I pulled my phone out of my pocket again.

"Isaac, about that favor," I began.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

"Lyra, wait up! Lyra!"

I could feel it, the wolf, bubbling just beneath the surface, waiting to break free. Its claws were ripping through my nail beds, its fangs through my gums. I could hear the low rumble of growls in my chest building up, threatening to sharpen into snarls, unleash into roars.

"Lyra!"

A hand spun me around and I snarled loudly in warning, stepping back from Scott. He watched me with wide eyes and he lifted both of his hands.

"Hey, hey," he said calmly. "It's okay. You're okay."

Slowly, I felt myself relax as I stared at Scott. I didn't want to hurt him. I couldn't hurt him. I knew what would happen if I hurt him, or worse…

"Sorry," I mumbled, looking down, letting the wolf crawl back into its cave. I took a deep breath but it hitched and I was surprised when I heard a drop of water hit the cement next to my feet. Then I realized I was crying.

"Hey," Scott said again. "Can I… Should I, uh, hug you or are going to rip off my head?" I looked up at him and saw he was joking. I smiled weakly.

"I'm okay," I said, brushing at my wet cheeks. I motioned for him to follow me. "Come on, let's get you home."

When we drove back to his place, Scott seemed to be quietly contemplating something. I had reined in my control completely by then, regretting acting so viciously in front of everyone. But I also was hurt that Derek had used that against me, especially since he knew it was a tender subject. Which he had accepted! He knew what I was and what I did and he still…!

_Acted like he cared,_ I thought quietly.

Shaking my head, I looked over at Scott, who was now resting his head back with his eyes closed. I felt bad for him too, knowing he had so much going on in his own life, and he was so young. I remembered how I was only a year older when I had lost so much, when my life had spun out of control. I eyed him.

But if there was one person who would make the right choice, even when all else seemed hopeless, it was Scott. Cora said he trusted me. Well, I trusted him. I could sense the goodness inside him, what Peter dismissed as "blandly moral", but it was precisely that that made him more human than any of us.

"You know, he cares," Scott said suddenly.

"What?" Scott opened an eye and looked at me.

"Derek," he said. "He cares about you. He just has a shitty way of showing it."

"You don't say?" I asked humorlessly, jaw twitching a little. Scott smiled a little.

"Take it easy on him," he suggested. "He's a guy, we're dumb when it comes to saying, you know, our feelings."

When I pulled up to Scott's, I got out with him. I wanted to check on Isaac (again) and also check to make sure no Alphas were sniffing around after Scott's little chat with Deucalion in the elevator.

Isaac met us at the door and he immediately sensed there was something wrong. Scott just shook his head at him as he went upstairs and he turned to me, opening his arms. This time I took up the offer and exhaled loudly as I rested my head on Isaac's shoulders.

"He told me to keep an eye on Scott," Isaac murmured quietly against my ear. I looked up and stared at him in shock. Isaac sort of shrugged then tilted his head. I listened as well as heard the sound of someone pulling on a sturdy pair of boots and picking up a set of keys.

"He knows he'll try to avoid a fight," I whispered. Isaac nodded. Then I realized something that stopped the air from entering my lungs.

"Derek's going after him tonight, not tomorrow," I said in a low tone. I looked up at Isaac. His eyes met mine and this moment of impossible understanding passed between us.

"See you there," he said quietly. I felt myself slump a little at the thought of Isaac, of any of them, fighting those God forsaken Alphas… I clenched my teeth.

_No,_ I thought fiercely. No one was going to fight and die tonight, not on my watch. I didn't care what Derek had said-in that moment it didn't matter. I was here for one reason and that was to help, no matter what the cost.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I hung up my phone and looked at Peter, who was watching me expectantly, as if he hadn't heard everything.

"Try not to get yourselves killed, hm?" he said, arching a brow.

"We'll be fine," I growled, walking towards the door.

"Oh, and Derek?" I turned and glared.

"Good luck."

"Thanks." I saw Peter look at Cora and Boyd before turning, shaking his head.

"I sure hope for your sake Lyra decides to forgive you and joins you. You're going to need her along with that luck."

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I found myself tracking the Alphas again, following them down to their newest spot, an old building with multiple floors and broken escalators. As I watched them, I knew by their movements they were lying in wait for Derek, Scott and the rest of them to show up.

So I hid myself within the building like a shadow, waiting for them as well. I stayed far enough away so I could be out of ear shot, but not too far where I couldn't jump into the fray if needed.

Outside, it was pouring again and lightning crashed. The night was very dark, since the moon and stars were blocked out by the heavy black clouds. But the inside of the building was eerily quiet, since the pack was scattered, waiting for their chance to attack. Deucalion was patiently waiting on an escalator, his arms folded in front of him.

And when Scott and Isaac arrived, I felt my adrenaline pick up, unleashing my wolf in a way I never have allowed before. Chris Argent might have described it as "putting the pedal to the floor".

The rest of my pack emerged, with Derek in the lead, who was shifted halfway. I felt my own wolf tear to the surface, so I was nearly fully shifted, and I felt the beast within take over.

And when the fight began, I was ready.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

We waited in the shadows as Scott and Isaac approached Deucalion.

"You didn't come alone," Deucalion remarked.

"Yeah, this is Isaac," Scott said calmly. Deucalion tilted his head very slightly, in my direction. He knew we were here.

"I'm not talking about Isaac."

I walked forward with Cora and Boyd behind me. I scanned the surroundings and then focused my angry gaze on Deucalion.

"You know I would do this! Derek, don't! You can't do this and no one gets hurt, someone else dies-,"

"Him. Just him," I snarled, pointing to the blind Alpha.

"Just me? Now, how does a blind man find his way into a place like this, all on his own?"

The rest of the Alphas emerged, Kali sliding down the concrete with her claws, Ennis walking up one of the escalators and the twins appeared from above. They jumped down and merged into one wolf, which roared loudly.

I whipped my eyes back to Deucalion. I felt like my vision zeroed on no one but him and I snarled, lunging for him.

Kali leapt forward, as if to intercept me, but a blurred flash of yellow and purple came out of nowhere, smashing the Alpha into a cement pillar. Lyra landed neatly on the balls of her feet, her hair down, covering her face.

When she looked up, I saw that all traces of the girl I met in the woods was gone, and in her place was the wolf- the Alpha wolf Lyra had been hiding from us all, the one who had killed, and was to be feared.

Her lips pulled back to bear her long, wickedly sharp fangs and she roared before she attacked the other Alphas and the battle began.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

Kali turned back towards me, roaring her fury as she lunged for me, turning to slash at me with her claws. I went for her, tearing into her with my teeth and my claws with a certain fury that would have scared me, if I had any rational thought in my head.

The twins fought as one against Isaac and Scott, who threw Scott against wall, clawing his side, which caused him to cry out. The huge werewolf went for Isaac, possibly breaking his arm, while Boyd and Cora took on Ennis.

Derek and I attacked Kali together, but I found myself whirling back and attacking Ennis, throwing him down to allow for the Betas to get in a few blows. I roared at the twin's merged form, who roared loudly back, but Kali's claws had me turning back, whirling around so I slashed her cheek- opening it to the bone. She cried out and Ennis then attacked me again, tackling me to the ground, which left Boyd open to Kali's claws, which were meant for me.

Then there was a sudden pause, where Scott and Isaac where held down by the twin's, Kali somehow had pinned Cora down and Ennis was holding me down to the ground, only managing to do so since I stilled. I knew my strength was greater than his but Deucalion's calm, authoritative voice had me lying still.

"Kill him," he said to Derek. "The others can go."Derek looked around and his eyes met mine. I stared at him and blinked, hoping he would understand. He looked up at Deucalion again.

"You're beaten. Do it, Derek, take the first step," Deucalion commanded.

"Are we serious with this kid? Look at him, he's an Alpha- to what? A couple of useless teenagers?" Kali snarled, pinning Cora down tighter with her foot on her throat.

"Some have more promise than others," Deucalion said pointedly, looking over in Scott's direction.

"Let him rise to the occasion then, what will it be Derek? Pack or family?" Kali asked, stepping down on Cora's throat tighter. I growled and Ennis snarled against my ear. I curled my lip, my body slowly tensing.

Then I heard soft footsteps and looked up just as Allison lifted her bow and arrow. Without thinking, I lowered my head quickly, covering my eyes with the curtain of my hair. She fired off spark arrows, which blinded the Alphas briefly. I saw Cora roll away from Kali, and Derek grabbed Boyd and shoved them both away from the fray.

"Your eyes! Cover your eyes!" Deucalion shouted at his pack.

Then within a blink of an eye, the sparks stopped and Ennis and Scott roared at each other, charging. They collided and the noise of the impact was stronger than any thunder boom, it sounded like two boulders colliding.

Scott skidded back, looking up. I stiffened as I watched Scott's eyes change to a deep red before he shook his head and they were back to bright gold.

I saw Derek lunge for Ennis, just as Kali went for Derek. I flashed quickly, tackling Kali, burying my fangs in her shoulder. She roared and we rolled across the floor. Her claws ripped down my sides, and I howled.

The air was filled with horrible snarling, mostly from me and Kali, as we fought viciously. She tried her slicing kicks, which I deflected, slashing her legs and calves with my claws. I snapped my teeth at her and tackled her down again and briefly, I looked up.

Derek and Ennis were battling near the edge of a drop, and I watched as Scott clawed at Ennis's calf, ripping it open. Ennis roared in pain and he fell, and to my horror, dragged Derek over the edge with him. I didn't even realize I screamed his name until I felt Kali rip open my side, exposing my ribs and I roared, backhanding her so hard, she flew in the air and crashed into the escalator, causing it to crack and moan.

I stood, not feeling my side injury, and I ran to the edge, while Isaac dragged Scott away from the edge. I looked down at both of them and snarled.

"Get out of here!" I shouted. The two Betas scrambled up and Isaac had to keep dragging Scott away. I looked over and saw Deucalion, Kali and the twins had disappeared. I knew they would go down to get Ennis and I had to get to Derek.

Without a second thought, I jumped over the edge.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I felt Ennis's weight give and his hand gripped my shirt, pulling me over the edge with him. I tried to lean my weight back but soon I was falling over the edge too.

"_Derek!_"

And then there was blackness.

I felt no pain. I was floating in nothingness. It was too dark and too quiet. I couldn't move. Why couldn't I move?

"Derek!"

"No, no, no, _fuck no._"

Was that a hand? Hands?

"Don't you _dare- don't you dare-!_"

Now I felt like I was moving, sliding even. I wanted to open my eyes.

"Derek, damn it, wake up!"

Was I sleeping?

"Derek!"

The hands again, shaking me. Ow, maybe slapping me.

"Derek Hale, you better fucking wake up right now, or I swear to God-!"

Lyra?

I managed to pry my eyes open. My vision grayed and then blurred before clearing. And I was staring into dark purple eyes.

"Oh, shit, Derek! Fuck, come on, all the way!"

This time I definitely felt the slap across my cheek. And I also felt the pain setting in, which nearly caused me to fall back into the blackness.

"Derek, stay away, please stay awake!"

I was unconscious before she finished her sentence.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I dragged Derek's body out of the building, using my draining strength to get him as far as I could before I collapsed. I shook his shoulders and tried slapping him, doing everything to get him to wake up, to begin healing.

His eyes opened briefly and met mine, but he passed out again, his skin drawn and sickly pale. I watched as his wounds stubbornly refused to heal and I cursed him, and myself.

I managed to drag his limp body into an abandoned factory before I cradled his head on my lap again. I stroked his hair, his stubbly cheek and switched off between whispering to him and cursing at him.

I watched and listened for any signs of the Alphas, but they stayed away. I figured it was because they were taking care of Ennis, who had looked just as bad as Derek.

"Damn it," I cursed again. I leaned down and rested my forehead against Derek's.

I decided to wait until morning to move him again. The rest of the night I just held him, and kept switching off between praying and cursing, hoping there was some way he would be able to make it through the endless night.

Eventually, I just prayed. I prayed Scott and Isaac were safe. I prayed Boyd and Cora made it out okay. I prayed I would heal. But mostly, I prayed for Derek to live.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I pulled myself into consciousness again after a few hours. I felt something tickling my cheek and realized Lyra was dozing, with my head on her lap, with her forehead pressed against mine.

As if she sensed I was awake, her eyes opened slowly. Her lashes brushed my own and all I saw was the clear, deep color of her blue-violet eyes.

"Derek," she whispered.

"Where… Where are we?" I asked weakly.

"Some old factory. I couldn't get you anywhere else and I wasn't strong enough to carry you and heal…" she trailed off, burying her face in my hair. "I didn't think you were going to live through the night."

"Are you hurt?" She looked down at me.

"Not as badly as you."

"You…need…to heal," I told her, my voice cracking with pain.

"I'm fine," she snapped in a low voice. "It's you that's still bleeding all over the place. Come on, let's get you up. Can you stand?"

With some tugging and pulling, I stood on very weak legs, my arm over Lyra's shoulders as she wrapped her arm tightly around my waist.

"Wait," I mumbled, stumbling. "Gotta…say something."

"Derek-,"

"I'm sorry…for…what I said," I mumbled, my eyed drooping again. "Didn't mean it… was stupid."

I forced my eyes to open so I could look at her; her face was set and grim as she half dragged me along.

"For- forgive me?" Lyra looked up at me sharply.

"Let's get you healed first," she said briskly. I weakly dug my heels in so she had to stop again.

"Please…Lyra, please," I beseeched, my voice slurring. I nearly toppled over and she caught me, bracing her body against mine so I wouldn't fall over. My eyelids cracked open and I saw her eyes blazing into mine.

"I forgive you," she whispered fiercely. "But I won't forgive you if you die, and I certainly won't forgive myself." I nodded and allowed her to help me walk again.

"Just…in case," I muttered, my words barely making sense.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I stumbled into the sunlight and found out we were in a parking lot, closer to the school than I thought we were. I saw someone walking in the distance and nearly gasped when I recognized Jennifer- Ms. Blake.

"Jennifer!" I screamed. The woman didn't hear me as she walked briskly to her glossy red Prius. I tried to get Derek to walk faster but he stumbled and swayed like a drunkard.

"Jennifer!" I cried out again.

Luckily, we reached her car before she started it. I lost my grip on Derek and he practically fell against the car, his bloody hand slapping against the driver's window. I heard Jennifer's startled cry and lunged for Derek as he fell to the ground.

I caught him and lowered him gently, as Ms. Blake scrambled out of her car, eyes wide, cheeks ashen, heart pounding.

Derek moaned softly and he looked like he was slipping into unconsciousness again. I glared up at Jennifer, trying to rein in my terror.

"Well?" I snapped. "Are you going to help me or not?"

Ooo0ooO

**Author's Note: Cliffhanger! I'm sorry! *cringes***

**I tried to write out this chapter as best as I could by piecing together everything that happened in the episode with the flashbacks and such. If you have any questions or need any clarification, let me know!**

**And let me know what you thought of this chapter, please! **


	8. The Healing Process

Chapter Seven: The Healing Process

(Lyra's POV)

When it came to the Alpha pack, I was always careful. I never crossed their path; I never stopped anything they did- no matter how bad it was. I always remained a shadow, hiding from them as I followed them. I knew there would come a time where I would have to attack, and if I was alone, I accepted I might not come out of it alive.

But that was before Derek.

Now, I was throwing myself in the line of fire left and right, making myself known to the pack and Deucalion. I didn't hide anymore. I had to protect what was mine- my pack. Mine and Derek's. Isaac, Scott, even Boyd and Cora, they were part of my responsibility. I was an Alpha and if there was one thing I remember learning from my family: it was that Alphas protect their own. Their pack wasn't _just_ a pack, they were family.

So when I held Derek as he slowly bled out in that godforsaken parking lot, I couldn't help and remember what it was like to watch my father get killed right in front of me all over again. In Derek's pain glazed eyes, I saw my family and their dead eyes, staring glassy up at the full moon, surrounded by blood.

My gaze turned back to the trembling human who stared down at us with wide eyes smack in the middle of her pale face. I could smell her terror and confusion, which leaked out of every pore.

"Jennifer!" I snapped, getting her attention. Her gaze snapped to me and her breath hitched in odd, rapid gasps.

"God fucking damn it, _help me!_" I yelled. "Get him in the car!"

Suddenly, a loud, terrifying, _pain filled_ howl ripped through the air, echoing throughout the city, causing the birds to scatter from the trees. I froze and listened, my eyes growing wide.

"_Fuck_," I hissed under my breath.

"Wh- what the hell was _that?_" Jennifer asked with fear. I glared up at her.

"Get Derek in the car, and when you do, you drive _as fast as you can_, got it? I'll hold them off," I instructed quickly. Jennifer didn't argue, she quickly knelt down and together we managed to lift Derek and shove him into the back of her Prius.

I slammed the door and turned to Jennifer, grabbing her shoulders. The woman still seemed a little in shock, so I shook her.

"Jennifer, listen! They're coming and they're pissed. Just get him somewhere safe. Get him home, you got that? Get him the fuck home!" I said harshly, shaking her again, struggling not to grip her too tightly.

"I don't know where to go!" she said shrilly.

But it was too late.

The wind changed directions and I could smell them. I turned my head to the side and could hear them, two of them, running in our direction.

"Get in the car and whatever you do, _don't_ get out of the car? Got it? No matter what!" I said, looking at her again. Jennifer quickly nodded and slid inside the small car, locking the doors.

Whirling, I strode forward, not wanting to draw attention to the car anymore than we already had. They probably could smell Derek's blood inside it anyway.

Kali appeared out of nowhere, shifted and seething, her long black claws extended and fangs bared. Aiden was right behind her, leaping forward in long bounds to keep up with the rage filled female Alpha.

Releasing a long breath, I got control of my wolf, allowing it to surge to the surface. My nails elongated, as well as my teeth. I knew my eyes had melted into red as I gashed my fangs together and snarled at the two Alphas.

"_You_," Kali snarled. "Where's your precious _Derek?_"

"You're not getting anywhere near him," I growled. Kali laughed and approached me slowly; her body was tense as a lioness about to pounce. I crouched slightly, shifting my weight forward.

Then Kali lunged forward and I met her halfway, and we knocked each other into the ground, causing it to crack. She slashed at me with her claws and I dodged them, rolling out for under her, kicking my foot back so my boot's heel smashed into her side. I heard a satisfactory crack and Kali howled.

She grabbed my leg, clawing at my calf and I snarled, striking out so I caught her across the face. She let me go and we stood, facing off again. She whirled on her feet, slashing with her clawed feet and she caught me across the chest. I screamed and stumbled and she twisted again, but this time I managed to grab her leg. Mercilessly, I yanked and twisted it sharply and her howl of agony echoed loudly.

Kali collapsed to the ground, her leg bent at an awkward angle. I stepped forward, standing over her. She looked up, her eyes blazing with hate and fury.

"Well, c'mon. Kill me, Lyra," she snarled.

"Wait!" I snarled as Aiden stepped forward. He raised his hands and I eyed him, tense. He knelt down next to Kali, his brown eyes latched on me.

"Wait," he said. "I'll get her out of here. We don't… we don't need to shed anymore blood." I glared at the youngest Alpha. I wanted to attack him, I wanted to _finish_ Kali… I wanted… I _wanted to_…

_Derek_, whispered through my mind. _Save Derek._ Almost immediately, my rage subsided, and I pulled myself together, eyes cooling, nails and teeth shrinking.

"Don't think this changes anything," I said lowly. Aiden just nodded and I growled at Kali, who was glaring at Aiden with menace.

Ignoring my wounded leg and the injuries from the night before, I strode quickly back to the car. I flung the door open and climbed in next to Jennifer. I turned in my seat and saw Derek was slipping into unconsciousness again. I looked at her and saw she was even paler, if that was possible.

"Wh-, w-, wha-?" she stuttered.

"_Drive_," I snapped.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I remember hearing howling. Snarling. Growling. It was all so slow, like a dream. I could feel my heart beating quickly, trying to push myself to heal.

Then there was a bone chilling howl that woke me up briefly. It almost sounded like… Blackness spotted my vision again and I began slipping under again. I groaned.

A voice. I thought I heard a voice. Someone was yelling at me. Why were they so mad? I felt like I was stuck in a tunnel, surrounded by a thick paste that made it hard to move. That voice though- it sounded like it was getting closer.

"Damn it, Derek, wake up!"

_Lyra?_ I thought. So I wasn't dead. Not yet.

"Derek, damn you! Snap out of it!"

"Lyra," I croaked. There was a hand on my chest, another on my face. Despite the angry voice, the touch was surprisingly gentle.

"I'm here," the voice- Lyra's voice- said. "Don't go under again. You hear me? You're not dying, not today."

Then why did it feel like I was?

There was a jolt and the sounds of something slamming- car doors?- before two hands grabbed my shoulders. I felt myself being half-dragged, half-lifted somewhere. There was someone else, holding up my legs. But all I could feel was the burning, familiar touch from whoever was holding up my upper body.

_Lyra,_ I thought again weakly.

There was another noise- some sort of clanking and groaning of metal, before I was set on my feet. I pulled myself out of it, struggling to open my eyes. I could see vague shapes, but the smell told me I was home.

Lyra's arms were around my middle and I sagged against her, gasping as my wounds rubbed against my torn shirt.

"Oh God, this is bad, this is a very bad idea, we should be taking him to a hospital!" a high pitched voice said. I turned my head a little. Why was the teacher here?

"No…no hospital," I wheezed.

"Derek, stay awake," Lyra said, her voice full of authority. Her Alpha voice. "Jennifer, help me hold him up, if he falls again-,"

I stumbled and I felt a weaker set of hands grab my shoulder, pushing me back up.

"I- I can't hold him!"

"Damn, it Jennifer-!"

I crashed to the floor, causing Lyra to fall with me thanks to my weight. She managed to squat so the fall wasn't too harsh and she laid me down. I could feel her hands roughly roll me over so I wouldn't lie on my injured stomach. I groaned again.

"Fuck," Lyra growled. "I need you to help me get him to his room. I'll be damned if he dies in the middle of his living room."

"But-,"

"Jesus Christ, Jennifer, shut up and help me!"

The next thing I remember is waking up on my bed. It felt so soft compared to the ground I was just on and I wheezed again. I opened my eyes a little and stared up at my ceiling.

"Derek?" I looked and saw Lyra leaning over me. Her blue-violet eyes were dark.

"Derek, I'm going to take off your shirt. Lie still," she instructed. I felt her hands gently rip my shirt open, her claws coming out to rip through the fabric easily. I heard a loud gasp, but it wasn't from Lyra, but from the trembling woman behind her.

What was her name again? Blake. No, Jennifer. Jennifer Blake. _Whatever._

I hissed a little as Lyra's hands brushed the long, deep set of claw marks along my stomach.

"Oh, my God," Jennifer whispered.

"Son of a _bitch_," Lyra said under her breath.

"How- how bad?" I asked weakly. Lyra's eyes snapped up and met mine.

"Bad," she snapped.

"To be honest, the 'oh my God' would be for your- your-," I saw Lyra give Ms. Blake a look that made me thankful I wasn't on the receiving end. Jennifer froze and stared at Lyra, her cheeks blushing before paling again.

"If it weren't for the fact you're bleeding black blood," Ms. Blake finished, gulping. Lyra stared the other woman down until she took a step back, away from us.

A flash of pain had me groaning again and Lyra turned back to me. I saw her red eyes flash as she assessed the damage to the fullest extent.

"Oh God, he's not dying, is he? Oh God!" Lyra turned and snarled.

"Jennifer, if all you're going to do is panic and not help- get the fuck out!" Lyra ordered.

"But he's-!"

"_Don't you think I can see that?_" Lyra bellowed. Ms. Blake flinched.

"Lyra," I whispered quietly, shifting a little. I groaned as my blood oozed out of the injuries. Lyra whirled around and for a brief moment, I saw the fear and concern in her eyes, before it melted away under fierce determination.

"Jennifer," Lyra said in a more controlled tone. "Thank you for getting us here. You should go. Get rid of any blood in your car, got it?"

"Are you sure?" the other woman asked nervously.

"Yes, I can take it from here. Just go." She didn't have to be told twice.

When Ms. Blake was gone, Lyra turned to look back down at me. I felt her hand brush down my cheek softly before she sighed.

"Not exactly how I pictured making friends," she muttered.

Despite the pain, I felt my lips turn upward.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I laid next to Derek for a long time, letting him rest. His breathing was heavy and painful, but he didn't lose consciousness again.

After some time, he turned and looked at me. I was curled on my side, looking at him, my face pillowed by my arm. The moonlight reflected in his green eyes and I saw touches of gray inside them, and dots of brown along the pupils.

"How bad?" he asked again. I furrowed my brow at him.

"You're-,"

"No, not me. You." I blinked. Derek turned his face again, looking at me.

"I'm fine," I said firmly. Derek's eyes darkened a little.

"Lyra," he said. I sighed, and then tried to hide my own wince.

"Got a few gashes in my side and chest, and my left calf was ripped open…but none of them are as deep as yours," I said quietly.

"How bad?" Derek said evenly, spacing out each syllable.

"If I wasn't so keen on making sure your dumb ass wouldn't die, I'd…" I trailed off, shrugging slightly.

"Let me see."

"Derek-,"

"_Let me see_."

I stood and began carefully peeling off my clothes. Now that the adrenaline was gone, I could feel each injury more clearly. I removed my tattered shirt and ripped jeans and scuffed boots, which left me in royal blue boxers and a matching bra.

There was an array of bruises coloring my skin, my calf was currently in ribbons- ripped nearly open to the bone, but the worst was my upper body. The back and shoulder blades bore claw marks that criss crossed, my neck and shoulders still had healing bite marks, and there was thick claw marks under my breasts, running alone my side, exposing the bright, cherry color of my muscles underneath. There were other claw marks, running down my side, nearly to my hips, exposing my ribs. Those were the worst out of it all, and each mark was smudged and oozing black blood.

"_Lyra_," Derek breathed. I glanced down then back at him.

"I barely felt anything," I said quietly. "I was… I was too worried about you."

"How could you say I'm worse than you?" Derek hissed, sitting up. I stepped forward, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" I asked.

"Do you have any idea how bad you look?" Derek snapped. I rolled my eyes.

"You're not looking any better. You're like one giant open wound; I'm not entirely sure you aren't really dead," I said.

"Lyra…" I shook my head at him.

"I'm _fine_. Last time I checked, you were the one that looked like he was ready to knock on death's door."

"I have to look for the others," he said suddenly, sitting up straighter. I pushed him back.

"They're okay," I said reassuringly. I sat down next to him, ignoring the twinges of pain. "They're going to a cross country meet."

"They think I'm dead," Derek whispered, looking at me. I stared at him before leaning my head on his shoulder wearily.

"Maybe right now that's a good thing," I said softly. "We need to get you healed. The Alphas known you're alive and Kali…"

"What about her?" I winced.

"She's…mad. Ennis is dead," I told him, Derek pulled back and looked at me.

"How do you know?" he asked, his eyes narrowing. I gave him a pointed look.

"Because I dragged your ass out of that warehouse, and I protected you and that dumbass teacher when Kali came after us this morning," I said bluntly. Derek's eyes widened.

"When you were this injured? Lyra, how- what if you got yourself _killed?_" I shrugged, looking away.

"Lyra, look at me!" I ignored him. Derek growled.

"I cannot believe you," he muttered. I turned to glare at him.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry I wanted to, you know, _protect_ you. Sorry I protected the rest of our pack by making sure they got out safely before the Alphas ripped them apart. Sorry I jumped down to get you out of there-,"

"You _jumped down_ from where I fell? Are you crazy?"I shot him a dirty look.

"And sorry I got my leg all fucked up watching over you while you were bleeding to death in a car," I continued, growling.

"_Lyra_," Derek whispered fiercely. "What if you had gotten yourself killed?"

"Then I'd be dead, and I'm pretty sure I'm still kicking- at least with my one good leg."

Derek shook his head and I looked away. I tried to ignore the anger and annoyance that was bubbling inside me. Then I felt Derek's hand skim along my cheek, before he cupped my chin and turned my face so I had to look at him.

"Thank you," he said softly. I stared into his eyes, unblinking.

"Thank you for saving me and everyone else. Thank you for protecting me. I just… Lyra, I don't know what I would have done if you had… you are already so hurt, and I couldn't _do_ anything-!" I lifted a finger and laid it against his lips so he would shut up.

"You're welcome," I said simply. Derek sighed and this time, he rested his forehead on my shoulder.

"I can't do this without you," he whispered. "I need you, _we_ need you. Isaac, Scott, Cora…"

"Even Boyd?" I asked and I sensed Derek's smile.

"Even Boyd," he said agreeably. He lifted his eyes to meet mine again.

"I can't lose you."

I flinched a little. Even though Derek and I have had our…more intimate moments, he never said things like that. This was the closest we ever had to a heart to heart. I felt my own ache a little, even though I shoved it aside. I just stared at him, unable to answer at first.

"Don't let me lose you," I replied quietly.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I had let myself lay back down, hoping my body would eventually begin the healing process. I felt a little better, I guess. Everything wasn't hurting as bad and I managed to stay awake. Lyra had left the room, making noises about finding something antiseptic or whatever.

I watched with some amusement as she walked out of the room in just her underwear. But that humor died away as I looked at her injuries, mainly the ones on her sides. She looked like she had nearly been ripped in two but she gave no sign that she was in pain. Was that because she was stronger than me? Or maybe because she had been an Alpha longer? Both?

I looked up as she walked back in, her expression disgruntled. She walked over to me and I sat up. She knelt in front of me and I vaguely wished she would curl up on my lap, like she had before. Had that been only two nights ago?

"I looked everywhere, you don't have any bandages or any kind of first aid anywhere," she said. I gave her a dry look.

"I usually don't need them, as you might imagine," I replied. Lyra sighed and stood, placing her hands on the uninjured skin of her hips.

"How do we fix you up?" she asked impatiently, gesturing.

"Time."

"Time? _Time?_ Do we really look like we have time to wait around and wait for all of this to heal?"

"What else can we do?" I asked, looking up at her. She was glaring again.

"Figure something else out," she said through gritted teeth. "Let me call Peter."

"No," I said quickly. Lyra arched a brow at me. She sat down next to me again with a huff.

"Then what else can we do?" she asked, throwing my words back at me. I shrugged slightly.

Lyra flopped back on my bed and hissed in pain. I looked down at her and saw her quick movement had caused her side injuries to start bleeding a little again.

"How come you're not healing either?" I asked. Lyra looked at me and frowned.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I've healed from other injuries like this a lot faster."

"Because you're stronger," I stated. Lyra looked at me cautiously before nodding a little. I laid down next to her, staring at the ceiling again.

"I am sorry for what I said before," I said softly. "I didn't mean to throw those things in your face. I was just…" I chuckled a little. "Worried about you."

"Why?"

"I didn't want to drag you into this."

"But I-,"

"Let me finish," I said sternly. I looked over at her and turned slightly on my side. I lifted a hand and touched her smooth skin gently, before tracing the claw marks. Lyra stiffened and watched me warily.

"I didn't want _this_ to happen to you. I know you could have handled it, because you are stronger than me, but the thought of you fighting against those Alphas… I didn't _want_ to think about what could happen," I admitted, looking at her briefly. Her violet eyes were dark and guarded as they stared back at me.

"What would I tell the pack if you died? What would I tell Isaac? I see how he looks up at you, how he trusts you. Scott's the same. Cora and Boyd might take time but eventually… they'll come around. The pack- _our pack_- wouldn't be the same without you in it. You keep us together, Lyra. You keep… you keep me together."

Lyra didn't answer me. I saw her eyes close and her lips thin in a tight line.

"You shouldn't be here," I told her. "You shouldn't have stayed in Beacon Hills."

"Why's that?" she said finally, even though her eyes remained closed.

"Because you don't know me, you don't know anything about me."

"I know enough."

"No, you don't," I sighed deeply, rolling onto my back again. Lyra was quiet for a long time before she moved to her side and I looked at her. Now, with her eyes open, I saw everything she had been hiding from me. The sadness. The hope. The strength. The happiness. The…

"Maybe I have a feeling about you," she murmured.

"It shouldn't be a good one. Everyone around me…" I looked away.

"Everyone gets hurt," I said brokenly. Lyra moved so she was hovering over me. Her gaze was gentle.

"I've been hurt before," she said quietly. I looked at her for a long moment.

"Not like this."

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I stared into Derek's eyes, which were so open and so vulnerable. It was like he was waiting for me to agree with him and then run out on him.

"It's my choice, you know. This has all been my choice. I know I never _had_ to stay in Beacon Hills, I could have left the night the Alphas took Erica and Boyd. I could have left that morning. But you know why I didn't?" He shook his head.

"Because when I saw you standing in front of your house, arms crossed and brow furrowed, I saw something different in you. Something that drew me to you. I could have easily run away but I'm not running now, not again." I focused my eyes on him.

"I'm not running away from you. I choose this pack. I choose _you_, Derek Hale."

Suddenly, his lips were pressed against mine, pressing me back into the bed. I reached up and pushed against his shoulders and he leaned back, and we stared at each other. Part of me was screaming not to do this, we were both too injured, but the other part of me, the more dominant part, had me pulling him back down again.

It was different. Instead of heat and speed, it was slow and warm. Derek's fingers traced over every inch of unmarred skin, and his lips followed. I floated on a pleasure cloud, letting myself seep into the slowness, all under the moon's pale rays.

I turned him over gently and explored him myself. I kissed every scar, every blemish, not caring that he was covered in black blood. He didn't seem to care either. Our touches were light and teasing, and I felt entranced under his pale green gaze as he watched me.

I rose over him, my hands on his shoulders as I took him inside my body. We both groaned quietly and I tipped my head back, sighing at the sensation. Derek held my hips gently as I rocked my hips, before I began the slow, slow pace. We watched each other as we moved together.

Derek leaned up and kissed me, his lips sliding along mine like a whisper, his hands moving over my body. His fingers trailed up my spine, dancing over the marks in my skin. His other hand cupped my breast, his thumb rubbing my nipple in easy circles.

I tilted my head back and he kissed along my throat softly, nuzzling the crook of my neck. He gripped my hips again before he moved me back, his body covering mine, still moving. I wrapped my arms around his neck, running a hand down his hair and the back of his neck. My other hand brushed over his chest, and then moved to grip his bunching arm.

Derek sighed my name, feathering kisses along the length of my neck and chest, moving his hips rhythmically with mine. I closed my eyes, savoring the feeling of him filling me so completely, but so perfectly.

There was no fire or burning red eyes when we reached our climax. It was like climbing a steady hill, sprinkled in moonlight and sighs, before sliding down into the tranquil pool below, where we held each other in each other's arms.

We dozed together, with me on my side, hand on his chest. One of his arms was wrapped around my shoulders, so his fingers could trace up and down my arms. I opened my eyes and gazed at him.

His eyes were closed but I noticed how long his black lashes were. His stern brow was relaxed, making him look younger. His jaw was still shadowed with scruff, which I found out I didn't mind. I closed my eyes again with a smile.

When my eyes opened again, Derek was sitting at the edge of the bed. I saw the healing process wasn't triggered yet and I frowned. I moved over to him, pressing my front to his back. I let my hands roam over his arms and chest and he turned his face to mine. I kissed him gently and found myself willing for him to get better- for both of us to get better.

Shifting, Derek pulled me onto his lap, which I was slowly discovering was a favored position of his. It wasn't that it was _sexual_- though his awakening erection said otherwise- it was more _comfort_, which despite by best efforts to avoid, I gave freely to him.

Derek kissed me again, his tongue twining along mine. I rested a hand on his shoulders for balance and the other went against his chest. I trailed it down and I pulled away when I realized all I touched was smooth, rippling skin.

"Derek," I whispered in shock. He looked down and froze. Our injuries began closing, leaving behind smooth skin and repaired muscles. He stared at me for a moment.

"How?" he asked softly.

"I don't know," I admitted, shaking my head a little. I lifted a hand and traced my fingertips down his cheek. His eyes darkened and he pulled me closer, his lips covering mine.

Derek moved me so I was back on the bed, his body pressing me into the mattress. He slid inside me and I gasped quietly. He groaned against me lips and proceeded to move in long, smooth strokes.

I clenched him close, gripping his hips, drawing my legs up and we both moaned as I tightened around him. Our lips met and parted, tongues teasing and seducing. I felt the warmth build inside me again and I rolled my hips against his.

Derek's hand moved down my side, then pulled my leg over his hip and I gasped. Then he traced my thigh, moving up until his thumb pressed against the sensitive bundle of nerves, where our bodies were joined. I groaned, holding him tighter.

I opened my eyes, not realizing I had closed them, and found Derek staring down at me. His eyes were a deep, sage green with no hints of red. We watched each other again before he groaned my name and thrusted inside me a few more times, sending up sliding over the edge again.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

This time, we did sleep. There was no need for us to say anything more, and we certainly didn't have to express our relief that we had healed.

I held Lyra close and felt my eyes drift shut. She shifted, pressing her body along my side, our legs intertwining.

"Maybe it was always you," she whispered very quietly. I opened my eyes and looked down at her, but she was asleep. Her breaths subsided and evened out and I could see her eyelids flickering a little.

I wondered what she meant but I pushed that aside. We still had to find the others and tell them what happened. I knew Lyra was going to worry about Isaac and Scott when she woke up again.

I looked down at her again. I felt different- not just better, but _good_. Like I was somehow more complete than I have ever been before. It was like the healing process hadn't just healed me physically, but somehow I felt like I was healed from all the old scars I bore from the past. I gazed at Lyra.

_Maybe it was always you_, I thought. Maybe it was always her- this fierce, strong, beautiful Alpha- that was meant to heal me.

Maybe. Just maybe.

Ooo0ooO

**Author's Note: That _episode!_ I loved it but I hated it and UGH. Don't worry though, in this story nothing will EVER happen between Derek and Ms. Blake- I do _not_ like her. I hope you guys like what's going on between Lyra and Derek more!**

**Let me know what you thought of this chapter! (Sorry it's shorter than the others!)**


	9. The Death of One

Chapter Eight: The Death of One

(Lyra's POV)

I could sense something was off. There was a stirring in the air, a sort of undercurrent of tension, which was rising by the minute. It had gotten worse when the boys had returned from their cancelled cross country meet. I called Isaac and instructed him and Scott to meet up with me after sun set.

With music playing in the background, I got ready. I brushed my hair back; parting the top section and pinning up the sides before letting it fall down my back in loose waves, humming along to the song playing.

_"I'm not Snow White but I'm lost inside this forest, I'm not Red Riding Hood but I think the wolves have got me…"_

Turning, I eyed myself in the mirror as I adjusted my shirt. I was wearing skin tight black jeans and matching boots with a strapless lace top that sported a tight bodice before flowing loosely over my hips. I ran my hand over the soft blue material, pleased with how for once I felt feminine…normal.

_"Don't let me in your tower, show me your magic powers, I'm not afraid to face a little danger- danger…"_

"Forget something?"

I turned and smiled. Derek was standing in the shadows under the stairs, holding out my obsidian necklace. The small wolf turned in the sun light, its amethyst eyes flashing. I walked over to him and reached up, but he jerked it out of my reach.

"Allow me," he said in a low voice that sent a flash of heat down my spine. I turned around and moved my hair to the side, exposing my bare back to him. I felt his fingers trace along the top of my blouse and I shivered. He lifted the necklace over my head and fastened it before pressing his lips lightly on my shoulder blade.

Turning to face him, I wrapped my arms around his neck, pleased how his hands went to my hips, roaming under my top. I leaned up and kissed him gently. I smiled as I pulled back but Derek's eyes went dark as he yanked me tighter against him. His lips descended on mine again, hot and persistent.

I pulled away with a smirk, resting my hands on his chest. He growled softly as he tried to pull me in again. I couldn't help the laugh as I swatted at his hands, which were inching towards the zipper of the blouse.

"Come on, we got to meet Isaac and the rest of them. I'm pretty sure they want to know whether or not you're dead," I reminded him. Derek sighed deeply before nodding. I grinned smugly before turning to grab a short black blazer.

I drove in my car with Derek sitting in the passenger seat, looking out the window. I arched a brow in his direction but he didn't notice.

"What's up with the broody face?" I asked. Derek glanced at me before shaking his head.

"Nothing, it's nothing," he muttered. I gave him an annoyed look.

"Yeah, sure," I said sarcastically. Derek exhaled and pushed a hand through his hair.

"I'm thinking about Kali," he said darkly. "I think she's up to something."

"Because of Ennis?" Derek nodded. I frowned.

"She's pissed," I told him. "She wants revenge for what happened to Ennis…which means she's either going to go after you or…"

"Or you," Derek finished. "Which is exactly what I don't want to happen."

"I can take care of myself," I said sternly, turning into the neighborhood where Scott lived. "We just have to make sure the others don't get caught in the cross-fire."

Derek didn't reply as I pulled to a stop in front of Scott's house. I got out of the car and instructed Derek to wait. I looked up and saw the curtain flick to the side. I listened to the sounds of pounding feet on stairs before the front door flung open.

"Lyra!"

I grinned as Isaac bounded over to me and enveloped me in a tight hug. I laughed and clenched him close, dropping my forehead on his shoulder. He pulled back and stilled as he looked over my shoulder. I glanced over and saw Derek leaning against my car, arms crossed and expression serious.

"Hey," Isaac said cautiously. I narrowed my eyes at Derek, who just nodded at Isaac, ignoring me. I turned to look at the gangly teen again.

"Ignoring my calls," I scolded. "What the hell happened to you guys at the meet?"

"Trust me," Scott said, approaching us. He paused and eyed Derek, relief coming off of him in waves. "You don't want to know."

"Why not?" I demanded, frowning. Scott shook his head while Isaac gave him an unsure look.

"We were…ah, poisoned. There was wolfsbane in the coach's whistle and he kept blowing it on the bus and…" Scott trailed off, looking at me. I sighed and stepped forward, wrapping my arms firmly around him.

"Glad you're okay, kid," I said softly. Scott gave me a lopsided grin before he focused back on Derek.

"So you're, uh, alive," he said. I looked up at Derek as he walked over to stand by my side.

"Yeah," Derek replied. "And we need to talk."

Scott just nodded and gestured for us to follow him. I stuck by Isaac, even though I reached back and brushed my hand over Derek's for reassurance. His fingers ghosted over my palm in response.

I entered Scott's home and smiled at its simple charm. It smelled pleasant, like apples and some sort of flower, as well as wolf. A slight woman with dark, curly hair walked in and smiled politely.

"Hi, I don't believe we have met officially. I'm Melissa, Scott's mom," she said. I stepped forward and held out my hand.

"I'm Lyra," I replied easily, shaking her hand. I noticed Melissa's eyes drift to Derek and she just tilted her chin in acknowledgment before smiling at me again.

"Would you like something to drink? Coffee?" she asked. I saw Derek shake his head as he followed Scott and Isaac into the living room.

"I'd love some," I said. "Why don't we make some for everyone?" Melissa nodded and gestured for me to follow her, which reminded me of Scott. I grinned.

"So are you a friend of Derek's?" Melissa asked as the coffee brewed. I leaned back against the kitchen counter and gave her a sheepish look.

"Sort of. We're, ah, involved," I said. Melissa's dark eyes twinkled with laughter at my chagrin.

"I see," she replied. "What about Scott and Isaac? They seem to like you."

"They've grown on me," I said with amusement. "They're like brothers to me." Melissa nodded and then turned, giving me a look that was a mixture of curiosity and worry.

"Can I ask you something?" I nodded, crossing my arms. Melissa glanced over my shoulder and then shook her head, as if remembering the boys would be able to hear us anyway.

"These…things that are going on… Are Scott and Isaac in danger?" Melissa asked, leaning on her palms against the counter. I looked her in the eye.

"I won't let anything happen to them, Melissa," I said firmly.

"Yes, but are they in danger?" she repeated, her eyes searching mine. I stared at her for a moment before exhaling softly and shaking my head.

"I don't know," I admitted quietly. Melissa leaned in closer.

"They're just kids, Lyra," she said urgently. "And Scott is all I have… I don't know what I'd do if something happened to him." I reached over and squeezed her hand briefly.

"I know, believe me, I do. I had a little sister and I lost her, along with the rest of my family and pack," I said. "And I'm not going to let these Alphas tear anymore families apart."

Melissa was quiet for a few seconds before she gave me a tight smile. I returned it and she turned to pour the coffee in three mugs. She turned and paused, looking at me again.

"I'm sorry about your family," she said softly. I reached over and took two of the mugs from her.

"It was a long time ago," I replied before walking out of the kitchen.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I accepted the cup of coffee that Lyra passed to me as she settled herself between myself and Isaac on the couch. Scott sat in an arm chair before leaning forward to rest his arms on his thighs.

"So what the hell happened to you two?" Scott demanded. "After the fight?"

"Well," Lyra began, sipping her coffee before getting herself comfortable. Her legs rested against mine while her upper body faced Scott. I saw her other hand rest on Isaac's briefly and I wondered if she even noticed she did that.

"Once you guys were in the clear, I jumped down to get Derek-,"

"You _jumped down?_" Scott asked, cutting Lyra off. She sighed impatiently and the teen quieted down.

"Anyway, I got to Derek before the Alphas could and got him out of there. I took him into an abandoned warehouse, factory…whatever, to rest for the night. I needed to heal and so did he. The next morning, we were tracked down by Kali and Aiden and if that teacher-,"

"Ms. Blake?" Isaac asked, glancing at Lyra with his brows furrowed. Lyra nodded.

"Yeah. She helped get Derek in her car while I fought Kali off. We managed to get Derek home then we healed."

"So Ms. Blake knows about us?" Scott asked slowly. Lyra's lips twisted as she sipped her coffee again.

"She already knew," Lyra said evenly. "After the night at the school, in the boiler room. So far she's been hush-hush about everything and hopefully it will stay that way."

"Wait," Isaac said. "You said you and Derek healed. I saw how bad both of you were hurt. How did you just heal?" Lyra paused and we exchanged a long look. Lyra just smiled at the boys, shrugging.

"Dunno, we just did," she said.

Not exactly a lie, I mused, but not entirely true either. We didn't know how it happened but we did heal without any sort of help… it was a little unnerving.

"So now what?" Scott asked. I leaned forward a little, looking at Scott, then Lyra, then Isaac.

"We need a plan, because Kali is going to strike again. I don't know when but something is telling me soon," I stated. Isaac frowned while Scott's expression changed into one of concern.

"What did you have in mind?" Isaac asked. Lyra sighed and sat back a little, looking displeased.

"This one," she said, jerking her chin at me. "Wants to stage another attack because, you know, the last one worked out _so well_." I rolled my eyes at her.

"Derek, you can't be serious," Scott said. "What if someone dies this time?"

"Wha else can we do?" I demanded. "It's not just me at risk here. It's both of you, and Lyra, even Boyd and Cora. No one is safe with those bastards here."

"Oh will you just cool your jets for a second?" Lyra asked sharply. She stood up and placed her mug on the small table in front of us before she began pacing. She was vibrating with energy and her eyes glowed a bright violet color.

"We need to be smart about this," she stated firmly. "Kali isn't going to attack us head on; she's clever, very clever. She'll be sneaky about everything and she will try to mess with any or all of us. Her attack in the parking lot was just an act of rage but now she's had time to simmer down and _think_, which is exactly what we need to do."

"So what can we do?" I asked, looking over at her. She paused and crossed her arms.

"Right now, we need to lay low," she ordered. "We need to keep in contact with each other about everything and anything that's going on, whether it has to do with the Alphas or with the dark Druid." Lyra began pacing again.

"We're a pack," she continued. "And we need to start acting like one. We all know there's strength in numbers so we need to work together if we want to take all of them down."

"You're right," Scott said, running a hand through his hair.

"Does that mean I stay with you again?" Isaac asked quietly, looking at Lyra then at me.

"Lyra's right, there's strength in numbers. I think you should stay with Scott and look out for each other," I suggested. "That way you have a better chance if you run into trouble." I saw Lyra's look of approval. Isaac nodded in agreement.

After that, Scott and Isaac walked us out to Lyra's car. I waited by the Audi while she said good bye to the boys. She hugged Isaac tightly then moved over to Scott. I titled my head a little when I saw her stiffen a little.

"What is it?" Scott asked. Lyra shook her head and cupped Scott's face, studying it closely.

"I don't know…there's something…different," she murmured. Scott gave her a slight, confused smile.

"Hmph," Lyra huffed, dropping her hands before smiling. "Probably not used to your sideburns being so tamed, Scotty."

"Scotty?" Scott repeated, arching his brows. Lyra laughed and waved at them.

"Behave and call us if anything happens," she called before opening the doors. I nodded at both of them before climbing in next to Lyra.

"What was that all about?" I asked as she pulled away from the curb. She shook her head slowly.

"Just a feeling I got," she said. "It was like… he changed." I furrowed my brows at that but didn't say anything.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

The next morning, I got ready for my usual run. I tied my hair back in a ponytail and slipped on my running shoes before walking quietly out of the bedroom, leaving a sleeping Derek sprawled out in the middle of the bed.

I grabbed Cora's iPod as I walked downstairs. She was sitting at the table, eating breakfast while studying something on her phone.

"Mind if I borrow this?" I asked, waggling the iPod between my fingers. She looked up and shook her head.

"Go for it," she replied. I smiled at her.

"Have fun at school," I said over my shoulder as I slid open the wide metal door.

I began my run and plugged myself into the iPod, slipping in the headphones. I flipped through a few songs before I found a heavy metal playlist. I ran swiftly along with the rapid fire lyrics and drum lines, losing myself to the fast tempo.

After about an hour, I began a slow loop back towards the loft. I went through some back alleyways along the lines of abandoned factories, slacking off my pace a little as I cooled down. I was covered in sweat and my legs were burning a little from keeping up such a fast pace, but I felt good.

Suddenly, I was slammed to the ground by a heavy weight crashing into my back. I landed hard and grunted as the iPod cracked against the asphalt. Instinct had me rolling over and sending a knee upwards, which caught Aiden under the chin, sending him arcing through the air. Rolling again, I got onto my feet and crouched, growling.

Kali slipped out from one of the building, her teeth bared and eyes red. I snarled viciously at her, shifting. I flexed my hands and let my claws extend as I snapped my sharp teeth. A whoosh of air had me dodging Ethan's attack from behind. I slammed my foot into his back, sending him crashing into the ground on a howl.

"Well, well, if it isn't Lyra out for her morning run," Kali purred, walking towards me slowly. The twins go up and shadowed her but didn't morph into their single wolf form.

"Kali," I spat. She smiled slowly before lunging. I twisted to the side and brought my elbow down, smashing it against her side. She ducked and rolled, landing on her feet with the grace of a jungle cat.

Growling, I looked at her then shot a glance at the twins, hating the feeling of being outnumbered. But before I could think any more, Kali leaped forward and swiped at me with her claws. I managed to lean back to avoid her claws hitting my throat, but they still tore into my chest. I howled in pain and sent my fist into her face, causing her head to snap to the side. She looked back and I watched as her jaw snapped back into place.

"Ennis is dead because of Derek," she growled. "So I figured an eye for an eye was in order."

"Ennis died because of Deucalion smashing his face like a grape," I sneered. Kali snarled loudly before attacking me again. I caught her arms before she could use them on my sides again and turned my body quickly, smashing her against the brick wall. I leaned in and bared my teeth in her face.

"I know you think you're strong," I snarled. My eyes slowly faded from violet to blood red. "But I'm stronger than you'll ever be."

Twisting, I tossed her to the side, sending her crashing into the twins. They all fell and I took off quickly, leaping up on a dumpster before jumping onto a roof. I went from roof top to roof top rapidly, before leaping down and running through the streets until I reached the loft.

I dashed up the main stairwell and didn't bother with disengaging the locks. I heard the alarm go off and I stumbled into the apartment as Derek lunged to shut it off. I swayed a little and someone caught me before I could stumble again. Cora wrapped an arm around my waist, holding me tightly.

"Lyra?" she asked worriedly. I panted and looked up at Derek, who strode over and lifted my chin.

"What happened?" he demanded. I leaned against his hand while I sagged some of my weight against Cora gratefully.

"Kali," I said. "She and the twins went after me when I was out running." Derek stepped back and examined the claw marks on my chest. They weren't too deep and were only bleeding slightly.

"I'll be okay," I said, pulling away from Cora's grasp. Then I noticed the front window. I stiffened and growled low in my throat. I saw Cora step forward as she looked at the hideous black symbol painted on the window.

"What does it mean?" she asked Derek quietly. He turned and looked at it as well.

"It means they're coming," he replied, looking at me. "Tonight."

"Fantastic," I muttered, stretching a little to the side so a broken rib could repair itself. I ignored the sharp flash of pain as it snapped back into place. I glanced down at the claw marks and hissed under my breath.

"Cora, go to school," Derek ordered, grabbing my arm. I dug on my heels and looked over at the younger werewolf.

"Keep an eye on Ethan," I told her. "I doubt Aiden will be at school, since by the looks of it he's tag teamed with Kali at the moment."

"Lydia too," Derek said, looking at his sister. Cora nodded and picked up her school bag before leaving me and Derek alone in the loft. I sighed and lifted a hand to the scratches.

"I'm going to shower," I said bitterly. I walked down the hall to the downstairs bathroom and closed the door. I paused and examined the iPod in my hand. I had managed to grab it before I had run away and the screen was sporting a large crack. I rolled my eyes with annoyance and turned it on so the bathroom filled with music.

_"When you walk my way, I feel the rush come over me, a sharp panic panic, it's the things you say that makes a rush come over me, it happens all the time…"_

I stripped off my sweaty, blood stained clothes, tossing them carelessly on the floor. I reached over and turned on the shower, letting the water grow hotter while steam rose.

_"I was never too good at following the rules, Na na, I'm better just pretending I was a fool…"_

Suddenly, a hand grasped my shoulder and spun me around. Before I could react, I was pressed against the shower wall, with Derek's lips against mine. I groaned as he clenched me tighter and I wrapped my arms around him while the water cascaded over us. The heat I felt had nothing to do with the hot water now.

_"All day, all night, I got the lights in my eyes, And I'm falling for you, Keep cool, Stay tough, But that's never enough and these are the lessons in love…"_

I gasped loudly as his teeth dragged down the side of my neck, before he ran his tongue over my wounds. I breathed heavily as they closed up. Derek's eyes lifted to mine and I saw the beast within his red-flecked orbs. I smiled slowly and yanked him around until his back smashed into the wall.

Derek's hands fisted in my wet hair so he could tilt my head back as our tongues met and parted. I nibbled at his bottom lip before setting my teeth on his neck, tearing a moan from him. His hands were rough and bruising on my hips but I didn't care. God, I _wanted_ him.

He switched our positions again and pinned my hands above my head. I grounded my hips against his urgently, pleased to find him as naked as I was. Derek growled sharply before plunging inside me. I cried out, bowing my back. He pounded mercilessly in and out of me and I met his furious pace beat for beat.

"You're _mine_," he snarled against my lips. I bit his lower lip and licked away the sting. I rolled my hips and he dropped my hands, gripping my hips with one while slapping a hand against the wall for balance. I gripped his shoulders and dug my claws into his skin.

"And you're mine," I growled back, dragging my sharp nails down his back. He grunted and grabbed my thighs and I slid up and down the wet shower wall with each thrust.

Pleasure ripped through me, taking away my breath. I tore my claws into Derek's back, marking him while he snarled softly, biting down on my curve of my shoulder, marking me as well. He kept pounding into me while I climaxed, shouting my name as he found his.

Somehow I managed not to slip to the floor in a puddle of pleasure and satisfaction. I smiled smugly as Derek stared at me, panting lightly. I stretched, rolling my back muscles so I could rub up against him again.

"Well," I sighed. "That was fun."

"Fun," Derek repeated, raising a brow while his eyes gleamed with hunger and humor. I smirked and reached down to hand him a bottle of body wash. I turned around to bare my back. I looked over my shoulder with a teasing smile.

"Want to wash my back now?" I asked sweetly. Derek's eyes went red for a moment.

"Is that it?" he growled. I laughed.

"Not by a long shot."

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

Lyra and I took each other again until the hot water ran out. We jumped out and dried each other off before she dashed off to change. I shook my head and smirked.

I went back downstairs after I had pulled on fresh jeans and a long sleeved shirt. I settled down at the table and noticed there was a book sitting on top of it. I picked it up and chuckled to myself. _The Crucible_. Obviously Lyra had a pretty good sense of humor if she was still reading that book.

I opened it and flipped through a few pages, thinking of the last time I read this book. I stilled as I remembered.

_High school_, I thought darkly. Memories threatened to surface and I shoved them aside, focusing back on the book.

Then I heard the quiet pattering of feet and saw Lyra walking over to me. She wore casual blue jeans and a black tank top that bared part of her midriff. I admired the smooth ripple of her tan skin. Her hair was still wet as it waved over her shoulders. She was running a towel through it and her lips were curved as she looked at me.

She settled herself down on my lap and put the towel aside. I placed the book down and wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her firmly against me. She smelled like the sweet pea body wash and her own natural woodsy smell. I looked up into her eyes and felt a tug in my chest. They were a deep blue-purple color and they glowed with contentment.

"Are you hungry?" she asked. I tilted my head down and pressed my lips against her shoulder.

"Not for food," I said huskily. Lyra laughed again, that full, rich laugh that made my chest twinge again. She rubbed a hand over my jaw affectionately.

"Well I need fuel before we go for round three," she teased. She hopped off my lap and walked into the other room. I watched the sway of her hips and shook my head. I felt like a hormonal teenager with her around, since my wolf was overtaken with this need to have her, take her, mark her.

I stood up and walked over to the window, standing under the shadow of the staircase. I crossed my arms and eyed the Alpha's symbol with disdain.

The main door suddenly slid open, the metal groaning loudly. I turned and saw Boyd and Isaac set inside. Boyd had an athletic bag slung over his shoulder and Isaac's hands were in his pockets as he looked around.

"Go back to school," I ordered, rolling my eyes.

"Who is it? Cora?" Lyra called.

"No, it's me and Boyd," Isaac called back. Lyra strolled back into the room and smiled at the boys.

"Hey guys," she greeted. She walked over and hugged Isaac and just nodded at Boyd. I watched with amusement, wondering if there would ever be a day where Lyra finally hugged Boyd…if he let her.

"Why aren't you guys at school?" Lyra scolded, placing her hands on her hips. "Lunch is almost over, you should go back."

"Well actually we can't, Boyd and I are, ah, incredibly and unbelievably sick," Isaac said, walking past her. Lyra arched her brows and followed him until she moved to sit at the table. I walked over to stand behind her.

"Of what, brain damage?" I asked sarcastically. Lyra snorted.

"That's evident already," she quipped. I chuckled while Isaac rolled her eyes and Boyd's expression remained stony.

"Well, I have a migraine and Boyd here has, ah, explosive diarrhea," Isaac explained. This time, Boyd rolled his eyes while Lyra gagged.

"Please, I don't need that image in my head," she said with a mock shudder. Boyd sighed loudly.

"We're here to protect you," he said bluntly. I raised a brow.

"Protect me? Well, I'm in trouble," I said. Isaac looked at Boyd before looking at Lyra and me.

"Actually, Boyd here came up with a plan," he informed us.

"Yeah, I thought about the time Gerard had me and Erica locked up, tied with electrical wire, pushing a current through us," Boyd said, dropping his bag and crouching down. "I was wondering how we could do something like that." He lifted a handful of wires from the bag, looking up at me.

"But on a bigger scale," he finished. Lyra stood slowly and leaned down to examine the wires.

"Gerard?" she repeated, looking at me from over her shoulder.

"Long story," I muttered. Her eyes narrowed slightly but she didn't say anything. Her gaze refocused on Boyd.

"So what do you need us to do, boss?" she asked. I watched as Boyd gave her a small smile.

"First, we need to flood the floor," he said. I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Why?" I asked. Boyd stood and gave me a cool look.

"Just trust me, okay?" I stared for a moment before nodding slightly. Boyd walked over to the far wall and pulling out a lose hose from the bag and attached it to the wall faucet. He turned on the water and began running it over the floor.

"Always wanted an indoor pool," Lyra joked, leaning against the wall by Boyd. Isaac and I walked over to them. I watched with my arms crossed while Isaac stood next to Lyra, eyeing Boyd.

"In a pool of electrified water, it can take up to 50 milliamps to kill a normal human, less than the power it takes to turn on a light bulb," Boyd explained, moving the hose so the water began filling the main room quickly.

"That's…comforting," I said, looking at Lyra. She twisted her lips and tilted her head, watching the running water.

"If we disable the circuit interrupter in the building's electrical room, the current will keep coming and anyone who steps in here will get a pretty bad surprise," Boyd said, looking over at Lyra.

"Yeah, it might be a little…shocking," Lyra said with a grin. I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose briefly.

"Don't," I muttered under my breath.

"Especially to someone who's barefoot," Isaac concluded, exchanging a look with me. Lyra's lips curved slowly, her eyes gleaming wickedly.

Boyd got the electrical current running to the loft, through the wires. Once the water was high enough, he tossed them into the water, while the rest of us stood safely in the other room.

"Is this going to kill them?" Isaac asked, eyeing the crackling wires. Boyd crouched down and studied the water.

"I hope so," he replied softly.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

Derek and the boys waited patiently as night fell, sticking to the dry parts of the floor to avoid getting shocked. I sat next to Isaac, my legs casually crossed in front of me. Derek stood leaning against the wall, his expression serious. I closed my eyes and listened quietly.

There was the usual outside noises, cars driving by and honking, the sound of the electrical wiring buzzing and snapping, the creak of metal…

My eyes opened quickly when I heard the distant whisper of footsteps. There were three sets of them, one lighter than the others as if…

_As if someone was barefoot_, I thought. I flexed my hands a little and stood. Derek looked over at me, raising his brows in question. I saw Isaac shift a little, his eyes focused on the control box.

I listened again and heard a faint clicking noise and someone talking in a low voice. I tilted my head at Derek but before I could talk, Isaac spoke up.

"Isn't the light on that supposed to be on?"he asked, pointing to the red alarm light. Derek frowned and examined it. I edge my way over to the shallow water, eyeing it cautiously.

"Yeah," Derek said warily.

"What does it mean if it's not?" Isaac asked.

"Someone cut the auxiliary power," Derek and I said together. Boyd and Isaac looked at each other before looking at Derek.

"But what about the main-," Boyd began.

Suddenly, the lights went out and everything got very, very quiet. I stiffened, the small hairs on the back of my neck rising. I felt my wolf stretch itself under my skin, growling. Derek moved around Isaac and Boyd to stand next to me.

Slowly, he stepped into the water. I hissed and went for his arm to yank him back but he dodged my grasp.

"Derek, get your ass back over here!" I demanded. If the electricity suddenly came back on…

"Derek? What do we do now?" Isaac asked worriedly. Derek paused in the middle of the floor, his eyes melting to red.

"We fight," he stated. I leaned down quickly to roll up the bottoms of my jeans to the middle of my calves. I kicked off the shoes I was wearing and quickly jumped over to the drier area by the main door in a single bound.

"Lyra, what are you doing?" Derek asked. I looked at him, my hands on the door.

"I'm going to check to see if we have company," I answered. Derek bared his teeth a little.

"No," he growled. I chuckled and shook my head at him.

"Listen for my howl," I instructed before opening the door.

"_Lyra!_" Derek hissed sharply but I ignored him and shut the door.

I ran swiftly down the empty corridors, my footsteps light and silent. I went down the stairs into the main electrical room, noticing how all the switches were off, not tampered with. I could smell them all over the room and frowned. Usually the pack was careful with hiding their scent, but Kali's was all over the place.

"Hello, Lyra," a cold voice said from behind me. I whirled around and saw Kali standing in front of the twins. I stiffened and growled a warning.

"Long time, no see," Kali said, making her way towards me slowly. I watched her carefully, with every muscle in my body ready to pounce. Her red eyes stared into mine, full of hate. I snarled at her when she got too close.

The twins then darted forward and I ran a few steps forward and leapt into the air, twisting my body so I landed past Kali and the twins. Kali turned and roared.

"Get her!" she ordered. The twins sprinted forward and I turned my body in a half arc, smashing the heel of my foot into Ethan's cheek, before turning in the same motion to slash at Aiden with my claws. Aiden was forced to lean back to avoid the blow but he reached up and grabbed my arm. I brought my other hand down, tearing into his skin with my nails and he howled but didn't let go. Ethan then appeared and brought his elbow down on my arm, snapping the forearm. I screamed and clawed at them again but Aiden whirled me around so my broken arm was up against my back at an angle where it wouldn't heal.

Before I could send out a warning howl, Ethan grabbed my throat and pressed his claws along the sides of my windpipe, crushing it. I gurgled and struggled, even as his claws dug into my neck. I stilled, knowing moving wouldn't help me now. I forced myself to remain calm, thinking quickly.

"Come on," Kali growled. "Let's go visit lover boy."

The twins dragged me back upstairs with Kali in the lead. Ethan's hands were other my mouth and throat while Aiden gripped my arms up against my back. I could feel my wolf snarling and fighting inside me, wanting to tear apart the three werewolves before they could reach Derek. It knew it needed to protect its pack, it needed to protect Derek.

Kali reached the door and began tearing at the large locks, banging and ripping at the metal until it slid open with a groan. She gave the twins a small signal before striding in.

"Gotta be honest, Derek, when Ennis died, I thought to myself, I'll just go for it," she said. I struggled against the twin's hold viciously, snarling low in my throat. Ethan and Aiden growled in unison and tightened their grasp on me.

"Find you and kill you, wherever you stood, then I remembered how you surround yourself with these teenagers, hiding behind them. Then I thought, what does a girl gotta do to get you alone?"

Aiden shoved me forward and I hissed as he jerked my broken arm, which I could tell was beginning to heal at an awkward angle. Ethan's claws dug into my throat as they dragged me inside the loft.

"Lyra," Isaac breathed. My eyes met his, which were wide and fearful. I jerked my chin while I saw him move forward slightly. He hesitated and I narrowed my eyes and he finally stilled.

"You and me, Derek, or they tear her apart. What do you say? You think you can beat me one on one?" Kali taunted. Now my gaze went to Derek, who was shifted and looked very, very angry. His lips pulled back to reveal his large fangs as he jerked his chin and Isaac and Boyd stepped back obediently.

_No!_ I thought. I knew Derek was strong but Kali was stronger.

"I'm going to rip your throat out with my teeth," Derek snarled. Kali roared and lunged, and Derek roared back, meeting her attack head on.

I focused my energy, making sure my body was perfectly still. I closed my eyes and called my own beast to the surface. When my eyes open again, they were a bright, flaming red. Ignoring Ethan's claws, I bowed in my shoulders before sending my head flying back, which connected with Ethan's nose with a sharp crack. He howled and his grip loosened on my mouth. I snarled and bit down on his hand before twisting my body to the side.

I felt my arm break again but I ignored the pain. I slammed my torso against Aiden then whirled, smashing my knee into his groin. He yelped loudly and fell to his knees. I centered my weight so I could turn quickly and send my other knee into the side of his face, slamming him to the ground. I turned until I faced Ethan, who was lunging at me, his eyes red. I swiped at him with my claws, catching his across the ribs.

I saw Isaac and Boyd tense out of the corner of my eye and I risked looking at them. I snarled loudly at them in warning and they froze.

Then Aiden was tackling me to the ground. I grappled him, locking my legs around him to rock him back so I could smash my fist against his nose. He dodged it somehow and grabbed my throat before lifting me up and slamming me against the hard floor. I heard a rib pop as the wind rushed out of my lungs.

Ethan pinned down my legs, leaning his full weight on them. Aiden crouched over me, clawed hand on my throat while the other hand pinned my wrists to the ground. I bucked against them wildly, snarling and snapping my teeth.

"_No!_"

I looked over and saw Isaac stop before he could reach me, his gold eyes looking at Derek. Then he turned and looked at Boyd.

"Wait!" he shouted and I saw Boyd had moved towards the electrical cables. Isaac looked over at me, his expression torn. He was facing me but his body was radiating with tension and I knew he wanted to help Derek since he was Derek's Beta. Isaac suddenly glanced down at his phone before his gaze snapped up at me.

"_Now!_" he yelled.

With horror, I watched as Boyd went for Kali while Isaac darted for the twins. I snarled at him but he ignored me. He slammed into the twins, knocking them aside. He crouched over me as the twins leapt to their feet.

"Take them!" Kali ordered.

"_Derek!_" I screamed, scrambling to my feet. Isaac's hand grabbed my arm but I shook him off, snarling at Kali.

The twins darted over to Derek, who had been knocked over by Kali. They gripped his arms, forcing his hands up with his claws extended. I went for Kali, who twisted her body and slashed her clawed feet across my face, before whirling again to send me flying back. I smashed into Isaac, who grunted as my weight knocked us both to the ground.

I looked up and watched as the world seemed to slow down, as Kali stuck her claws into Boyd and lifted him into the air. To my horror, she dropped him onto Derek's claws, which pierced right under his ribs. I roared with fury as I moved to my feet again.

Kali looked at me and smiled knowingly. My vision went as red as my eyes and I released a chilling roar. I lunged for her again but the twins got to me first in a blur of movement. Together they attacked, tearing at me with theirs claws and I stumbled under their blows before Kali's foot connected with my back, smashing me against the ground and pinning me there.

"I'm giving you until the next full moon, Derek, make the smart choice- join the pack," Kali purred. "Or next time I'm killing all of you."

She released me from my hold and I coughed up some blood. I looked up and saw Derek holding Boyd up, his face horribly pale and his eyes terrified.

"No," I breathed as fear ripped through my body. "No."

"No, no, okay, hey," Derek said quickly, his voice shaking. I winced as I pushed myself upwards and nearly fell, but Isaac was there and allowed me to lean on him briefly before I rushed over to Derek. I fell on my knees behind Boyd and let him lean his weight back against me. Blood slipped out from his lips and I saw how it was smeared all over Derek's hands.

"It's okay," Boyd murmured weakly. I felt tears build up in my eyes.

_No, not this, _I thought, clenching Boyd. _Anything but this._

"No, no, it's not, it's not," Derek said frantically.

"It's okay, Derek," Boyd whispered. Derek's eyes looked up at the Beta, and I choked a little when I saw the tears those green depths.

"I'm sorry," Derek said softly. I shifted Boyd around, until he was practically draped over my lap. I instinctively held him tighter, begging quietly to the docile night sky for him to heal.

"The full moon…the feeling…it was worth it," Boyd began. "The lunar eclipse? I was wondering what that felt like before I was a werewolf."

"You'll feel it," I whispered fiercely. "You'll be okay, damn it, _you'll be okay_." Boyd's bloodied lips curved slightly.

"You're- you're okay, Lyra," he said before coughing a little. His pain filled eyes met mine. "Sorry I was such a jerk." I lowered my head a little as tears slipped down my cheeks silently.

"No, no, Boyd, don't talk like that," I demanded. "Don't give up, don't you dare give up!" Boyd's eyes looked at me again. His arm reached up to clasp mine and he pulled me down a little so he could hold me weakly. I hugged him back and choked on another sob.

"Do you think I'll see my sister again?" he asked softly. I stared at him as his body slumped against me, and his eyes slowly closed.

"_No!_" I cried, sobbing. I looked up at Derek helplessly, who stared back with an expression that ripped my heart in two. He looked so utterly defeated and afraid and I cried, clenching Boyd again. Derek's hands lifted and I saw the bright red blood streaked over his fingers and palms, staining his white skin.

I heard footsteps again and looked up to see Cora and Stiles standing in the doorway. They looked stricken by everything and then they rushed forward. Cora threw herself down next to Boyd and looked at me with anguish filled eyes.

I lifted my gaze to Stiles, who looked at me with large, sad eyes. I lowered my head again as Stiles rested a hand on Derek's shoulder. I pressed my forehead against Boyd's while Cora sobbed against his chest.

Lydia's scent filled the room as she walked in. I barely acknowledged her though as pain tore at my chest. I felt Isaac's hand rest on my back and I turned into him, burying my face into his shoulder. He rubbed my back and I could smell his own sadness, pain and underlying anger.

When I was done crying, I had Isaac help me with moving Boyd's body. I got Stiles and Lydia out of the loft, ordering them to tell the others what happened. As I occupied myself, I buried my sadness away while I took care of everyone. I gently urged Cora to her room while Isaac stubbornly stayed with me, despite me demanding he left.

After an hour, I stopped and finally went over to Derek. He was now sitting in the shadows of the stairwell, his eyes blank and unblinking. I saw his trembling hands and took them in my own while I sat beside him.

"What is going to happen?" he said quietly. His gaze lifted to me. "Lyra, what's going to happen to me?" I tightened my hold on his hands.

"I don't know," I said softly. "It's different for every wolf."

"I killed him," Derek whispered, hanging his head. I bit my lip and rested my cheek on his shoulder. Derek shifted and I found myself holding him, while his face was hidden in the crook of my neck. His arms were around my waist as he held me on his lap and I felt his tears on my shoulder. I stroked his arm and kissed his temple soothingly.

"I'm no better than them," Derek said darkly. I closed my eyes and rested my cheek against his hair.

"That's not true," I said quietly. "This isn't your fault. You didn't want to kill Boyd and you didn't do it for the sheer pleasure of killing. This is Kali's fault and… _and_…" I stopped to control my building fury.

"And she'll pay," I grounded out. Derek didn't respond but kept holding me tightly. I looked over my shoulder briefly at Isaac. I nodded slightly in the direction of the door and mouthed _Scott_. He nodded and l tried to give him a smile, which came out as more of a grimace. He left quietly, leaving me alone with Derek in the large room that smelled of water and blood.

I let Derek lean on me all throughout the night. I managed to coax him into bed and he fell into a troubled sleep while I watched over him. I stretched out next to him and studied him under the pale moonlight.

Even asleep, he looked troubled and sad. I reached out and soothed a hand over his brow, letting my touch reassure him I was there. He relaxed only slightly as his hand gripped mine.

I knew what Boyd's death meant- that Derek's power as an Alpha would grow. I knew he was scared and confused, and my heart ached for him. I knew I would have to help him through this but I also knew I had one other thing on my mind- kill Kali. I felt my bloodlust bubble and I closed my eyes against the hungry feeling to gain more power. I winced when I thought about Derek feeling this, this addiction that would suck you in until you had the blood of a hundred victims on your hands.

Clenching Derek's hand, I felt a stab of self loathing pierce through me. I had failed to keep my family safe, and I had failed in keeping the Alphas from ripping another family apart. The loss of Boyd would affect all of us greatly, Derek the most. I hated knowing what he was going to go through. I hated knowing if I just fought a little harder, maybe I could have stopped this from happening.

I squeezed my eyes tighter as I growled into my pillow. I would not fail again, I vowed. No matter what, I was not going to let anyone else die. Even if that meant my own death. Without any hesitation, I know I could die in the place of anyone else from this pack. Gladly.

Ooo0ooO

**Author's Note: Well that episode made me cry like a little bitch. Writing this chapter made me cry more. Despite the feels, I hope you enjoyed it.**

**This chapter also featured Natalia Kills' song Wonderland as well as Kaskade's Lessons in Love.**


	10. The Broken

**Quick note: Anything in italics signals a flashback, memory or a thought. If it's used while someone is speaking, it's just for emphasis. **

**This chapter is going to be entirely from Lyra's POV as well!**

Chapter Nine: The Broken

(Lyra's POV)

_I remember my mother telling me stories when I was little. Grand stories about our kind, how our eyes could change colors- from yellow, to red, to blue, and how strong the bonds of love within a pack were._

_I use to laugh at that. I saw how much my parents loved each other, as well as myself and my sister, but I never considered what it would be like to lose the loves I loved._

_It only took one night to learn that. One night when a demonic Alpha and his pack attacked my home and destroyed my family. The pain would always be with me and it would never be easy seeing the very eyes which I stared into that night nearly every day._

_Deucalion took everything from me, and upon my arrival to Beacon Hills, I realized how much more entwined our lives were with each other._

_Because there was one story my mother told me, only once, that stayed with me for a long time. It was about a different werewolf, an Alpha that lived in the foothills of California. An Alpha that could change into a full wolf on the full moon, an Alpha that was stronger than any other Alpha. _

_I never heard my mother speak her name. She was merely known as **The **Alpha in my pack. No one questioned who she was, they knew. Whispers of her story were passed down throughout the years and more whispers followed about her family, her pack._

_Now, I found it funny how stories about the past can become the stories of the present._

Ooo0ooO

He wasn't talking. Or eating. Or sleeping.

I stared at Derek, feeling helpless and scared to the bone. He was wilting away in front of me and there was nothing I could do or say to make him even look at me.

I knew how Boyd's death was affecting him. I knew that losing someone from your pack was like losing a piece of yourself, but this was different. Derek's green eyes were haunted, as if they were remembering something that was never meant to be remembered.

After a few days, I gave up and called Peter.

"Where the _hell _have you been?" I demanded harshly. I paced in front of Derek's room, clenching my phone tightly as I kept peering inside. Derek was awake, lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Around," Peter said.

"That's wonderfully vague," I snapped. "Look, I need your help. I know you know what's happened, I don't know how you know, but I need you here, ASAP."

"Lyra, you already owe me, if you're willing to owe me two favors…"

"Fine," I snarled. "Just hurry… _Please_."

"I'll be over tomorrow." I snarled again and shoved my phone back into my pocket.

I went back downstairs, distressed and tense. Cora quietly eyed me from the couch but didn't say anything while she worked on her homework. I paced in front of the window and ignored Cora as she opened the front door.

"Lyra?"

I turned and saw Isaac standing at the doorway. Cora was standing beside the taller teen, her gaze dark and worried. Isaac watched me patiently, gently, and I turned away from him.

"Did you call him?" I asked Cora, my voice harsher than expected.

"Yes," Cora said simply.

"Lyra," Isaac said quietly. "What can I do to help?" I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against the cool window.

"Nothing," I muttered. "There's nothing you can do."

Ooo0ooO

_Abby and I were on the tire swing which was attached to the giant oak tree in front of our house. We watched Mom and Dad as they walked back up the trail together hand in hand. Abby and I stifled our giggles and elbowed each other with wide grins._

_"What's up with all the giggling?" Mom asked, her blue-violet eyes sparkling. Dad scooped me up and tossed me in the air, making me squeal._

_"Dad!" I protested. "I'm not a little girl anymore!" His light blue eyes sparkled._

_"No, that's right, you're a teenager now…all grown up," he replied with a grin. I scoffed and elbowed him in the ribs. Abby laughed at us and Mom wrapped an arm around my sister's shoulders._

_"Yes, Rob," Mom sighed. "Lyra's 14 now and Abby is 12. Where has the time gone?" Dad kissed Mom's forehead and Abby and I gagged, which made them laugh._

_"I don't know, Margaret," Dad sighed in response. "I remember they use to be such nice girls."_

_"Hey!" Abby and I shouted together._

Ooo0ooO

I felt Isaac touch my shoulder and I looked up at him before allowing myself to lean against him. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder in a brotherly fashion and I sighed.

"How is he?" Isaac asked quietly. I shook my head.

"I don't know. Not good," I said, rubbing a hand over my tired eyes. Isaac rubbed my arm.

"Come on, let's go get you something to eat," he urged.

Wordlessly, I nodded and followed Isaac out of the loft. Cora looked at me while I closed the door and promised to keep an eye on Derek. I turned and walked down the stairs and handed Isaac the keys to my car. He looked up at me carefully.

"Normally I would be thrilled, but right now I'm worried about you," he said. I climbed into the car and leaned myself back a little, closing my eyes.

"I'm okay," I said softly. "I'll be okay when Derek's better."

Isaac didn't reply to that, instead he started that car and carefully pulled it out of the underground parking lot and drive into town.

Ooo0ooO

_"What do you mean you have to go?" I demanded. Mom looked at me patiently._

_"I told you, I'm going to California to meet with an old friend," she explained again. I frowned and crossed my arms._

_"How long are you going to be gone? Who's your friend?" I asked, pouting. Mom smiled and wrapped an arm around me._

_"Just for a week. I'm going to visit another pack there," she replied. I looked up into her eyes._

_"Which one?" Mom shook her head._

_"It doesn't matter. Your father will watch over you and Abigail while I'm gone, okay?"_

_"Okay," I muttered._

_A few days later, she was gone. Anytime I asked my dad about where she was or who she was with, he evaded me with vague answers. I bitched about it to Abby almost every night._

_"I don't get why she won't tell us anything!" I said with frustration. Abby quietly braided my hair as we sat on her bed._

_"Maybe it's for our own good," she replied gently. "Pack business isn't something you usually worry about, Lyra. Why are you so worried?" I closed my eyes and turned to face my sister, playing with my waist length braid._

_"I don't know, I just have a funny feeling about it," I admitted. Abby nodded and patted my hand. She was the quiet, more rational one out of the both of us, who balanced me out. I began braiding her long, light blond hair in turn, still worrying._

Ooo0ooO

"Lyra?"

I opened my eyes again and looked at Isaac. I realized he had driven back to Scott's house. I arched a brow at him and he shrugged, getting out of the car. I followed him, trying to figure out why he decided to bring me here.

Melissa was at the hospital while Scott was out with Stiles. Isaac surprised me by making us a few sandwiches before ushering me into the living room. We sat on the couch while the TV played in the background.

"Why did you bring me here?" I asked after a while. Isaac looked at me.

"You looked like you needed to get away from the loft," he replied. "Something's bothering you."

"Derek," I said softly, looking down. "I'm worried about Derek. He's just…he's just not _there_, you know?"

"Do you think Boyd's death reminded him of…you know, his family?" I shoved my food aside and leaned back, staring at the ceiling.

"I don't know. I asked Peter to help but I don't know if that will help much…" I sighed. Isaac was quiet for a moment.

"What are we going to do?" he asked.

Before I could answer, my phone began buzzing. I saw it was Cora and I felt my heart leap into my throat.

"Cora?" I answered.

"Lyra!" she said. "It's Derek. He's gone."

"What do you mean _gone?_" I asked, standing. I motioned for Isaac to stay while I grabbed my keys.

"He's disappeared! I went into the kitchen and when I went to go check on him, he wasn't in his room, or anywhere in the loft."

"I'll be right over," I said quickly before hanging up. Isaac looked at me with wide eyes. I stared at him for a moment.

"Go," he urged. I whirled and ran to the door.

"Tell Scott and Stiles!" I called out before dashing to my car.

Ooo0ooO

_Over the next few years, my mom would continuously return to California to meet with the other pack. She eventually admitted to me she was trying to create a peaceful alliance with them, since they were the largest pack closest to us. _

_One night, however, everything changed._

_I was woken up by the sounds of my parents talking in the kitchen. I could hear my mom's voice, which was high and fearful, which made my heart freeze._

_"He's going to find us, Rob," Mom whispered. "He's gone completely insane. He killed his Beta, and he went after the rest of his pack. You know what happens when we kill our kind!"_

_"Why would he come here?" Dad demanded. There was a long pause._

_"We fought," Mom said quietly. "Before he was blinded by the hunter. He was angry because I didn't want to join him, he wouldn't listen, I told him I already had a pack!"_

_"Margaret," Dad breathed. Mom began crying and I got out of bed, creeping down the stairs. I saw my dad holding my mom to his chest, his eyes dark with worry._

_"We'll be careful. We'll set up patrols and make sure he doesn't find us. If he wants to declare war on every wolf that crossed him, he'll have me to answer to."_

_"Mom? Dad?" I whispered. Mom turned around and her eyes widened._

_"Lyra," she gasped. "Have you been listening?" I walked into the kitchen and crossed my arms, trying to look cool even though I was terrified by the look in my mom's eyes._

_"Yes," I said. "What the hell is going on?"_

_Mom just walked over and grabbed me, yanking me into her arms. She clenched me close and began crying harder and I held her, fear and confusion twisting inside my heart._

Ooo0ooO

There was no sign of Derek anywhere. I growled in frustration when I realized he had masked his scent so I could barely track him. I searched the loft for any sign of where he might have gone.

I ordered Cora to stay at the loft while I grabbed a jacket. I went back into the forest, searching and tracking. I came across a few signs of the Alpha pack, which I ignored for the time being. I knew if I came across them they would have one very angry Alpha to deal with.

My fear and anger drove me throughout the rest of the day and the night. I searched the old Hale house and even went back to my old cottage, which stood abandoned again. There was no trace of Derek anywhere and by the end of the night, I felt like I was going insane.

Isaac joined me at the peak of the cliff that overlooked the entire town when the moon was at its highest. It was slowly growing again and I rubbed a hand over the back of my neck, ignoring the itchy feeling of my wolf prowling under the surface.

"We'll find him," Isaac said reassuringly.

"I hope so," I said quietly, my eyes scanning the distant lights. I rubbed a hand over my middle absently, not liking the weird feeling I had in my gut.

Ooo0ooO

_As weeks passed, Mom grew more and more tense. Rumors of a deranged Alpha wolf spread like wildfire and when we heard he was moving closer to Colorado, Mom was reaching her wit's end._

_"We should run," she said to my dad. Dad looked at her with a shocked expression._

_"Run? We can't run, we have to stay and defend our territory!"_

_"Robert! What about our pack? Our daughters? Would you risk their lives just for a few acres of land?" she yelled. I closed my eyes and ran away into Abby's room. She didn't say anything, she just held out her arms, which I fell into._

_"We can't leave here!" I cried. "This is our home. What's going to happen, Abby?"_

_"I don't know," my sister whispered. "We have to be strong, Lyra. The pack will protect us, you know that. There's nearly thirty of us in these woods, even if this Alpha comes, there will be a fight. Maybe we can escape if it gets bad."_

_"What if we don't?" I demanded. "I don't want to leave, but I don't want us to fight either!"_

_Before Abby could reply, I ran out of the room and the house. I ran into the woods and found a quiet spot by a stream, where I sat down and cried._

_I was so confused and so scared. I hated feeling so weak when I knew I had to be strong. I was a Beta! I couldn't cry! _

_"You know it's probably not a good idea for you to be alone out here, right?"_

_I stood and whirled at the sound of the voice behind me. I saw a shadow standing under a tree. It stepped forward, revealing a lanky boy about my age. I recognized him as one of the other Beta's sons. I rolled my eyes at him._

_"Go away, Matt," I ordered. Matt just smiled and walked over to me, looking up at the moon. It was nearly full. I glared at him. _

_"Stop glaring, you'll get wrinkles," Matt said calmly, giving me a teasing look. I gaped at him while his crystal blue eyes twinkled. I punched him in the arm._

_"Not funny!" I said. Matt rubbed his arm a little._

_"I remember how you used to be nice when we were kids," he sighed. I frowned at him._

_"I'm the Alpha's second in command," I growled. "I can't afford to be nice." Matt shook his head at me, which caused a stray brown curl to fall over his eye._

_"Sure you can," he replied. Then he smiled. "You're just a jerk." I stared at him, flabbergasted. Laughter bubbled up and I laughed, making him laugh as well._

_"Says you," I teased, this time elbowing him in the ribs. Matt nudged me back and after a moment, I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. He had changed a lot since we had been kids, he was now tall and lean, and all his baby fat was gone. I felt my heart jump a little._

_Two weeks later, I met Matt again by the stream. When he saw me, he just grinned and yanked me close, pressing a kiss to my lips. I blushed furiously and shoved at him but smiled. _

_"You know we're going to get caught, right?" I asked teasingly. Matt pulled me close, running his hands down my back._

_"So?" he asked, arching a brow. I giggled and kissed him again. Eventually our teenage hormones got the better of us and he pulled me down to the grass. We stripped and made love under the moon and stars, undeterred by the thought of someone watching us. After, we got dressed and he pulled me in again._

_"I'm crazy about you," he whispered. I laughed and rubbed my hands over his chest._

_"Ditto," I replied, kissing him again._

_"Meet me here tomorrow?" he asked against my lips. I nodded slowly._

Ooo0ooO

When dawn broke, I made Isaac go back to Scott's. I brooded by myself in the woods, trying to figure out where else I could look. I tried remembering everything Derek had told me before, which would give me an idea where he could be.

I went down to the animal clinic, which was still closed and looked around. There were no signs of him there and I frowned, eyeing the building. Deaton was still a mystery to me, even though I had a vague idea as to who he really was. I just wondered if everyone else was going to figure it out.

I considered going to Chris to ask him to help me. I shook my head at that though, knowing if Derek was hiding, he wasn't going to be easy to find and he wouldn't like the idea of me asking a hunter for help.

_A hunter_, I thought briefly. Then I remembered something.

"Gerard," I muttered, narrowing my eyes.

It was time for me and him to have a little chat.

Ooo0ooO

_The next morning, I went to find Mom and Dad. I sat them down in the living room and eyed both of them._

_"I want to know what's happening," I said. "As your Beta, I deserve to know." Mom sighed and lowered her head._

_"When I was in California, I met up with another pack. Their leader is a female Alpha, who can change herself into a wolf during the full moon. Her name is Talia. We became friends and we agreed to an alliance between the packs. During the last trip, there were other packs in her territory. They were lead by three different Alphas, two males and one female. Talia told me how they would often visit her to get advice from her and her trusted friend, a man named Allen. He is an Emissary."_

_"An Emissary?" I asked. Mom shook her head at me. _

_"Let me finish," Mom said patiently. "With all the packs being there, it drew attention to the local hunters. They began killing the wolves and the hunter's leader, Gerard, declared war between the packs by not following the Code the hunters are suppose to follow. He attacked one of the packs, blinding one of the leaders. That Alpha then killed his Beta, who saw him as weak for being blind, and we believe he killed the rest of his pack. You remember what I told you about what happens when we kill our kind?" I nodded._

_"Now we've heard that he has been killing more and more of our kind, along with the wolves who had gone to Talia. I'm not sure if he attacked her pack, but I do know he managed to rally the other two Alphas into killing their packs as well. If they join together, they will be much more dangerous than anything we have come across before. And now I heard from Daniel that the blind Alpha's pack is moving across the border into Colorado."_

_"Daniel? Matt's dad?" Mom nodded. I frowned at that._

_"What are we going to do?" I asked. Mom shook her head._

_"I don't know," she whispered. "We have no idea if they're coming to find me or when they might attack…" _

_After that, I went to my room. I was brushing out my hair when Abby walked in._

_"Do you want to go for a run now?" I asked her. "I'm meeting Matt later." Abby raised a brow and leaned against the doorframe._

_"Are you sure that's a good idea?" she asked. I shrugged and pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I looked outside and saw the sun had already set. _

_"Come on, the moon will be at its peak soon and we can shift. Please?" Abby rolled her eyes at me._

_"Fine," she replied._

_Three hours later, everyone was dead, except me._

_I ran away into the woods, sobbing hysterically. I saw flashes of the blind Alpha, whose eyes I had clawed at, then flashes of Abby, Mom, Dad, lying dead in the grass. _

_Rounding a tree, I slammed into someone and screamed. Two hands gripped my arms tightly._

_"Lyra?" I looked up and stared at Matt in shock. I squirmed in his grip._

_"We have to run, we have to run now!" I cried. _

_"Too late."_

_A tall female slipped out of the shadows, her eyes red. I stared at her in fear and Matt shoved me behind him._

_"Oh, look, young love," the female laughed. "How adorable."_

_"Kali, stop teasing them." With horror, I watched as the blind Alpha walked forward. His eyes had healed but were still clouded and red. Matt stiffened and snarled._

_"Now, who's going to die first?" the blind man asked. Matt lunged forward, shifting. I screamed his name and went after him. It was too late._

_The female Alpha whirled on her toes and sliced open Matt's throat in one swift movement. He fell to the ground, gurgling as blood poured out of his neck. I fell to the ground and held him, sobbing._

_"L-Lyra," he choked. "Your…eyes." I closed them, knowing they were blood red. I looked up at the two Alphas and was surprised to see that they had disappeared. _

_Clenching Matt's dead body close, I vowed for revenge. I tilted my head back and unleashed a loud, chilling howl. I clawed at the ground, tearing the spiral symbol into the dirt furiously._

_I felt the last threads of my innocence disappear as I planned my vendetta._

Ooo0ooO

I could smell his blood from down the hallway. It was rancid and strong, making me wince. I walked down the long corridor and opened the door.

The older man sat in a wheelchair by the window. I could smell something was wrong with him, like he was somehow sick and healthy that once. When he turned, I saw his face was smeared with black blood.

"Well, well, if it isn't Lyra Peterson," he said. "You look just like your mother." I curled my lip at him and closed the door.

"I'm assuming you're not just stopping by to wish me back to good health?" Gerard asked, his dark eyes scrutinizing me. I grabbed his chair and yanked him so we were face to face.

"You know exactly why I'm here," I snarled. Gerard's eyes narrowed.

"You want to know what happened the last time your mother was in California," he replied simply. I nodded tightly. He reached out a hand and smiled, revealing blackened teeth.

"Do this and I'll tell you what you need to know," he said. I gritted my teeth and took his hand, jerking a little as I felt the thick, poisonous blood creep from his body into mine. I grunted as the black veins crawled up my arm before I dropped his hand.

"I want you to tell me why, Gerard. Why did you start a war between the hunters and the packs? Why did you attack Deucalion?" I demanded. Gerard sneered.

"Because you kind is a disease I want to rid the world of," he replied darkly. "And I blinded Deucalion because, quite simply, I could." I snarled and grabbed his shirt, pulling him close again.

"Because of your actions he attacked every wolf that chose not to stand by his side, including my mother. He followed her back to my home and killed everyone I loved." Gerard leaned in a little.

"_Good_." I felt my wolf rise up, causing my eyes to go red. Gerard bared his teeth and sat back.

"I see something beneficial came out of this for you," he sneered. I clenched my fists.

"I didn't choose to become an Alpha," I growled. Gerard tilted his head a little.

"But you _like_ it, don't you, Lyra? All that power, that feeling of never being weak… What was it like to kill your kind? What did it _feel_ like?" I glared venomously at him.

"Don't deny it, Lyra," Gerard said, his lips twisting into a chilling smile. "You might think you're different from Deucalion, but deep down, you're just like him."

I stood up and towered over the hunter, struggling not to rip out his throat right then and there. I turned instead and walked to the door. I was finished with listening to him.

"It's in your nature, Lyra," he called out. "You're a killer and eventually, you will give in and you will kill again. I just have to wonder… Who will you kill this time?"

I slammed the door and heard his mocking laughter follow me as I stormed out of the building. I went to my car and flung myself inside. I took deep breaths to calm the angry beat of my heart and to shove my wolf back inside its cave.

I rested my head against the steering wheel and then I broke down in tears. I cried for Derek, and all of those he lost. I cried for my family, and for Matt. I cried for Boyd and the others who had died at the hands of the Alphas. But mostly, I cried because deep down, there was a tearing fear inside me that said that Gerard was right.

Ooo0ooO

I got a call from Peter later, who informed me that he was at the loft with Stiles and Cora. I told him I was going to keep looking.

I heard back from Isaac, who told me Scott and Allison had decided to go see Gerard. I closed my eyes at that, then requested for him to join me in my search again.

When I picked him up, he seemed quieter than usual. When I asked him what was wrong, he looked at me worriedly.

"I can smell your tears," he said quietly. I winced and looked down.

"Rough day," I muttered bitterly. Isaac took my hand and looked at me pleadingly.

"Please tell me what happened," he urged. So I did. I told him about my visit with Gerard, and I even told him about what had happened in my past. I told him about how my family died and the events leading up to it then the events after it.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered when I was done. I started my car and shook my head.

"You're not like him, you know. Deucalion. Gerard was just trying to mess with you." I looked over at Isaac, whose eyes were blazing. I just nodded and drove off.

We searched through the more abandoned sides of town, through the old factories and warehouses that hadn't been used in years. After a while, I began to give up.

"Come on, you can't give up," Isaac said, nudging me along. I sighed. I was so tired and drained, and there was an ache in my heart.

"Go home," I said. "I'll keep looking. Go make sure Scott and everyone is all right." Isaac didn't argue and I allowed him to take my car back to Scott's.

When I was alone, I wandered through the woods again. I was in an unfamiliar part of Beacon Hills. Then I noticed another old structure in the distance. I titled my head as I walked closer, realizing it was an old mill of sorts.

Then I froze. The small hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stood up when I sensed another presence close by, except this one caused waves of relief to crash through me. I ran towards the mill, only pausing to take in the spiral symbol that had been carved into the metal front, which made me frown.

I walked in and nearly cried out in relief. Derek stood in the darkness, looking haggard and tired. His scruff was longer and his hair was dirty like his clothes. His eyes were still unbelievably sad and haunted, which made me flinch a little.

"Derek?" I asked softly. He just stared at the vendetta symbol, not evening acknowledging that he knew I was there. I walked forward and rested a hand on his arm. He flinched and blinked at me.

"Lyra?" he whispered. I exhaled and stepped closer to him, looking up into his eyes.

"We've been looking for you," I said softly. "Have you been here the whole time?"

"I… I use to come here when I was younger," he said. "Before…" I rubbed his arm, feeling my concern tear into my chest.

"Please tell me what I can do to help you," I begged. "Please, Derek." he just shook his head, his breaths becoming quick and painful.

"You can't… Everyone who helps me ends up dying… They always die…" he choked. I let out a startled cry as he collapsed to his knees. I fell with him and held him.

"Derek," I said, struggling not to cry again. Finally, he leaned against me heavily, placing his forehead up against the side of my neck. He held me tightly.

"Please don't die like her," he beseeched quietly. "Don't leave me." Confused and afraid, I ran a hand down his hair and kissed his forehead.

"I won't," I promised. "I won't."

I closed my eyes and grappled for my strength. Questions were screaming in my head and I felt Derek's pain hit me like blows, which only made me feel weaker. There was nothing I could do. I hadn't felt this weak since the night I had lost my family.

So I held him, rocking him. His grip never lessened but I ignored any pain it caused me. I didn't care, all I knew what that I had found him and that was all that mattered.

"Lyra?" Derek asked. I opened my eyes and saw him looking at me. The sadness and pain in his eyes took my breath away.

"What is it, Derek?" I asked, running a hand down his cheek. He leaned into my touch and sighed deeply.

"I have to tell you something." I stared at him before nodding. I ushered him to a quiet, dark part of the mill, where we sat side by side. And I listened.

Derek opened up to me. He finally unleashed all his past stories and pain, telling me of his family. I flinched a little when he named his mother as Talia but I kept quiet about that. He then told me of a girl named Paige, and his love for her, and then about her death. I held his hand tightly during that part, disbelief and sadness crashing through me. When he was done, I looked at him, my heart breaking for him.

In turn, I told him about my own past. I told him about my own mother, how she knew Talia and how involved she was with the Hale pack. I told him about how Deucalion went after us, how he had slaughtered my family. I told him about Matt and how Kali had killed him. I told him about Gerard and about the few things I knew about Allen Deaton.

After I was done, we stared at each other. Our lives had always been intertwined, our pasts blending into one before separating and coming back together. I wondered if some would say it was fate for me to find him. I also wondered if some would say it was fate for us to fight together.

"When you said 'maybe it was always you'…" Derek began quietly. I closed my eyes and remembered the night I had said that, after everything that had happened when we had fought the Alphas in the warehouse.

"What did you mean?" Derek asked. I opened my eyes and looked up at him, feeling shockingly vulnerable.

"Maybe it was always you that I was meant to find. Our pasts are so interwoven, it could seem impossible for us not find each other. I just never thought I would…"

"You would?" Derek repeated. I lowered my eyes.

"I never thought I would feel this way about you," I whispered. Derek's hand raced down my cheek then lifted my chin so I had to look at him again.

"Neither did I," he said softly. "Not after everything. I never knew I could feel like this again… Except with you it's…"

"Different," I finished. Derek nodded slowly. I scanned his eyes.

"What does this mean?" I asked. He looked down at me, his eyes full of emotion.

"I don't know," he admitted. I leaned my head against his shoulder and exhaled softly.

"Me neither," I said.

Except maybe I did know. Maybe I just couldn't accept it. He was my weakness, my strength. He was a part of me now, and there was no turning back. And thought was both comforting and terrifying at once.

Ooo0ooO

**Author's Note: And there you have it! The complete story of Lyra's past. If you guys have any questions or need any clarification, let me know. **

**Thanks for all your support and awesome reviews so far!**


	11. The Necessary Evil

Chapter Ten: The Necessary Evil

(Derek's POV)

I carried Lyra back into the loft while she slept quietly in my arms. She had fallen asleep the other night after we had finished talking, once we had left the mill to walk in the woods. We had found ourselves out by the cliff side, where she had curled into my arms and nestled herself against my chest, falling asleep. I had been surprised with her personal display of affection; she had never seemed to really be a cuddling type. But with everything that was happening, we both needed the comfort we drew from each other.

I laid her on my bed gently and she sighed, curling up against the pillow I used. I smiled a little and pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaving the room. I walked downstairs and saw Cora sitting at the table by the window, looking outside, her expression a little forlorn.

"You okay?" I asked. Cora looked up at me and shook her head.

"I just don't get how you can sit here, especially after what they did to Boyd," she growled, her sadness morphing into anger. I frowned and rested a hand on my sister's shoulder.

"Being angry isn't going t bring him back," I said. Cora jerked out of my grasp and stood, glaring.

"Well it's sure as hell better than doing nothing!" she cried, storming out of the loft. The door slammed harshly after her retreating figure. I sighed, shoving a hand through my hair.

"Derek?" I looked up and saw Lyra standing at the top of the stairs, her expression concerned. She walked down and walked over to me but glanced over to the door.

"Just give her time," Lyra said. Her blue-violet eyes looked up into mine. "She just needs to adjust."

"I wish I knew what to do," I muttered, shaking my head. "I can barely deal with it but Cora… she and Boyd had gotten close." Lyra sighed and rocked back on her heels.

"I know," she replied. "It's been hard on her, just like it has with you. Eventually she will be okay, we just have to keep an eye on her." I nodded in agreement.

"I'll follow her to school," Lyra said, her gaze shifting back to the door. "You Hales don't have good grips on your temper." I scoffed and she grinned.

"You should sleep more," I said. She just rolled her eyes at me.

I pulled her close and kissed her softly. I smiled widely when I saw her blush slightly. The thought of Lyra blushing was funny, but I knew if I laughed, she'd probably tear me a new one. She just shoved me away, giving me a look from under her lashes before she strode out of the loft.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I called Isaac as I drove to school. He picked up on the third ring.

"Hey, Lyra," he said.

"Isaac, can you do me a favor?" I asked.

"Ah, well, I would but… Scott asked me to go check on Allison for him…" I frowned.

"Why?"

"There was another murder last night at the school. Allison didn't show up for class and Scott's worried about her so I said I'd go over and make sure she's okay. Scott and Stiles are going to try to talk to Ethan about Deucalion." I stiffened.

"Do they know what they're doing?" I hissed. Isaac sighed loudly.

"Probably not," he admitted. I growled a little.

"Keep me up to date on things," I requested.

"Will do."

I hung up and rolled down my window. I sighed and then froze. There was something wrong, something in the air that had my wolf immediately on edge. What was that?

Feeling wary, I scanned the distance but saw nothing as I pulled up to the school. Class hadn't started yet and students were still parking and filing into the school. I pulled into an empty space and got out of the car, eyes narrowed.

I walked to the side of the building, noticing how quiet it was on the other side of campus. The wind stirred oddly, kicking up leaves and debris. I couldn't even hear any birds or animals in the trees, which made me walk with more caution.

Then I heard it, the strange drum beat that sent my heart pounding inside my chest. I could hear the calls and rising tempo and when a shudder ran up my spine, I whirled around. The Darach stood right behind me, its white eyes blazing into mine as it gave me a chilling smile. It emitted a high pitched screech, which made me cry out, before it shoved me back against the brick wall of the building.

"You think I'm _weak_," the creature hissed. "How wrong you are."

When I looked up again, the Darach was gone. I grimaced as a trickle of blood fell from my lips and I clenched my side. The Darach had hit me with something other than its hand, which burned me on the inside. I felt an ache in my ribs and back and knew it had something to do with its magic.

"Damn it," I cursed, wiping my mouth with my sleeve. I lifted my shirt and saw a large, blackening mark- not quite a bruise, not quite a burn- lying along my stomach where the Darach had touched me. Apparently I had pissed it off. I hissed under my breath before tugging my shirt in place.

Whatever that thing was, it was dangerous and it was strong. The feeling I had before it had shown up was like nothing I had ever felt and I knew somewhere deep inside me, part of it was fear. This was something unfamiliar and it posed a threat on not only myself but those I cared about.

_Scott. Cora_, I thought immediately. I dashed into the school, following the other's scents. I tracked Scott, Stiles and Lydia down, and sighed when I saw they had just sat down in class. I turned and nearly collided with Jennifer.

"Oh!" she gasped. "Sorry!" I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at her.

"It's fine," I said evenly. Jennifer's brows furrowed as she studied me.

"Why are you here?" she asked. I glanced back over at Scott, who then looked up and caught my gaze. He looked confused for a moment but I shook my head infinitesimally and he relaxed.

"Just checking on things. I heard about that deputy's body being found here last night," I said, arching a brow at the slender brunette. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

"No, but that poor woman! Who could do such a thing?" Jennifer asked sadly. I pursed my lips.

"A coward," I replied. "Or someone who gets kicks out of sacrificial killings." I moved forward and was surprised when Jennifer's hand shot out to grip my arm rather tightly. I looked up, raising my brows at her. She gave me a tight lipped smile.

"A coward?" she chirped. Even though my skin had chilled under her touch and I felt a warning ringing in my head, I gave her a slow smile.

"Murderers are cowards if you ask me. Killing someone is just an easy way of getting what you want," I said, jerking out of her grasp. Jennifer's head tilted to the side.

"Is it?" she asked, her voice dropping several degrees. I didn't miss the underlying _And how would you know?_

"That's just my opinion, Jennifer," I stated. I narrowed my eyes at her. "Thank God neither of us are cowards, hm?" Jennifer's eyes went half-mast as she eyed me. Then the expression disappeared as she smiled a little too brightly.

"I can't imagine we are," she said before walking into the classroom. I looked at Scott again, who frowned. I just looked at Jennifer again and mouthed, _Don't trust her_. Again, he nodded and I walked away.

My expression went grim as soon as I was far enough away from the classroom. I had meant what I had said to Blake, murderers were cowards. The Darach and Deucalion were cowards, hiding behind killings to gain power that wasn't theirs to gain. There were other means of gaining or receiving power. I closed my eyes briefly. I wondered if I had said "coward" because that was how viewed myself for killing part of the pack that had killed my family. Did killing all of those wolves really make me a hero?

Revenge wasn't a hero's motto. I shook my head. No, revenge was never for those who had the strength to move forward and see clearly past all the blood.

I paused and leaned against the lockers. I looked back over to the classroom. I wondered if that was why I had an odd feeling when I was around Scott. Did I sense the good in him, the good that made him different from everyone else? Scott was the only one who never sought revenge, who never planned an attack and who had never killed anyone. Scott's heart was pure and true, which made me and even my wolf respect him…kind of like one respect their Alpha.

I frowned. But Scott wasn't an Alpha…was he? There had been a change in him when he had come back from the big fight with the Alphas and the cross country meet. Was he meant to become an Alpha then? It wasn't impossible; my mother had told me once about Alphas who had been simple Betas, who didn't have to take a life to become the true leader they were meant to be…

Tucking that thought away for later, I went to find Cora. I found her slinking around the school corridors, her eyes a mix of human brown and wolf gold. Her aura was dark, full of anger and remorse, which explained why she had been snappish the last few days. Derek was right- Cora and Boyd had shared some sort of bond, though we never could tell how deep it was…

"Cora," I called, walking briskly towards her. The girl turned and rolled her eyes at me, her jaw clenched.

"He sent you to watch after me, did he?" she asked in a bitter tone. I frowned at her and crossed my arms.

"No," I said firmly. "I wanted to see if you were okay."

"Do I _look_ okay?" Cora demanded in a loud voice. Not wanting to draw attention to ourselves, I took her arm firmly and lead her down the hallway and nudged her into an empty classroom. She plopped down into one of the desks with her fists clenched.

"Talk to me," I requested. Cora exhaled.

"You know, when I was stuck in that vault, Boyd and Erica were the only ones who helped keep me together. Even during the full moons and when we wanted to rip each other apart, even when the Alphas pitted us against them, we held tight for each other." Her eyes focused back on me. "Do you know what that feels like? Then to lose them, well, it sucks. When Erica died, I thought Boyd was going to try to kill the Alphas himself, but I managed to get him under control. Then when you and Derek showed up, I thought to myself, now I get to start over. I got my brother back, I got a friend I knew I could rely on… and now he's gone. All because of those smug bastards who are walking down the halls and walking around the town like they own the place and they _know they do_ because we can't stop them! Now we aren't even trying! We're just sitting here, making up half assed _plans_ instead of taking _action_." I walked over to her and placed a hand over hers, meeting her gaze patiently. I sat in the desk in front of her.

"I know it hurts, believe me, I do. I lost everything because of what Deucalion did and who he became. But you have to remember, we _have_ to look at the bigger picture here. It can't just be about going after the Alphas, not with this Darach raising hell and killing people. We have to take into consideration that Deucalion will be ten steps ahead of us, even if we're at the top of our game. He's extremely clever, Cora, even in his madness for power. The only thing we _can _do is stick together and have each other's backs," I said.

"I can't do that!" Cora cried, pushing away from the desk, pacing. "I don't care! He killed my friend and those asshole twins are walking around my school like nothing happened!" she began heading for the door but I smoothly blocked her. She growled at me but I just raised a brow at her.

"And what are you doing to do, huh? Go after them by yourself?" I demanded. Cora eyed me for a moment.

"That's _exactly _what I'm going to do," she snarled. Suddenly, her fist went smashing into my cheek, causing my head to snap to the side. I stumbled one step but whipped around quickly, but she was already gone. I sighed and rolled my jaw as the shallow cut and bruise healed on my cheek.

"Nice right jab," I muttered before running after her.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

When I got out of the shower, I noticed I had a few texts from Lyra.

_Something's wrong. Checked on Scott, he's fine. _

_You better come to the school. Cora went after the twins._

I sighed and ran a hand through my drying hair. I tugged on a gray shirt and jeans before grabbing my keys and heading for my car.

When I was driving, I got a call from Lyra. I frowned briefly, knowing if she had texted _and _called me, something was definitely up.

"She's fine," Lyra said in lieu of a greeting. "At least she looks fine. She got into it with Aiden and he took a weight to her head. She's bleeding a little but I can't see any other damage."

"I'll be there in a few minutes," I replied.

"Wait!" Lyra said quickly. "Look, I didn't catch up with her until Ethan and Scott had gotten a hold of Aiden. Take it easy, they're gone now. Stiles just told me he was going to take her home. I want you to meet me outside, I have to tell you something." I didn't like the sound of her voice when she said that.

"All right, I'll save ripping into the twins for another day," I muttered. "But are you sure Cora is okay? What's wrong?"

"Just get here, all right? I mean… can't you sense it?" I hung up and brooded over her final words as I pressed the accelerator down.

_Can't you sense it?_ There was something off about the day but I couldn't put my finger on it. I figured it had something to do with the Darach or whatever, but I hadn't given that much thought since I had been wrapped up in the problems with the Alphas.

Once I reached the school, I parked by Lyra's car and walked towards the passage that led to a side entrance of the school. I could sense Lyra's presence close by but I paused briefly when I heard her talking with someone.

"Look, Jennifer, all I'm saying is everything is under control-,"

"Lyra, two students got into a fight at school and with them being, well, _you know-!_"

"I get it, all right," Lyra snapped. "And I'm grateful you've kept your mouth shut about these things but right now, we have more important matters on our plates."

"How could you be okay with those twins walking the halls like nothing happened? I know what they did!" I peered around the corner and saw Lyra's impatient face as she stood facing Ms. Blake with her arms crossed. I saw her fingers tapping against her arm in a rapid beat.

"And now for we have to be quiet about this! These murders are overshadowing the Alphas right now; these are innocent people who are dying! Colleagues of yours, Jennifer! What if you're next?" Lyra demanded. Jennifer paused, her face a little pale.

"I don't feel safe," the other woman said quietly. "You know I organized this recital to honor the losses of the school, now it just seems stupid…" Lyra's face gentled slightly but she made no move to comfort her.

"No, it's exactly what we need. We just have to stay alert, all right?" Jennifer nodded and the bell rang shrilly. I winced at the noise.

"Some days I just want to take a sledgehammer to that bell," Jennifer joked. Lyra gave her a slight smile and nodded, just made me smile, since it was a nod of dismissal, like an Alpha would give to a low ranking wolf. Jennifer walked off and I saw Lyra's posture remain tense as she watched Jennifer like a hawk.

I stepped forward and her gaze whipped over to me. I saw her eyes fill with relief and to my surprise, she walked over to me quickly and threw her arms around me. I paused before wrapped my arms around her firmly. I felt a bolt of shock when I realized she was shivering, not from cold, but from fear.

"Where the hell have you been?" she demanded in a low voice. "And don't say you dare come up with the worse excuse ever, I texted you." I pulled her back so I could look in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked quietly. Instead of answering, Lyra stepped back and lifted her shirt. Along her stomach laid a blackened handprint, which made me inhale sharply. It looked like a horrible, painful bruise and I lifted a hand to trace it gently. Lyra shivered at my touch and even whimpered softly when I pressed my forefinger to it more firmly. My gaze shot up to her. She _never_ whimpered, not even when she was torn into ribbons by the Alphas.

"When I showed up to the school, the Darach came after me," she said. My eyes widened as I looked at her. She sighed and lowered her shirt, hiding the strange mark again.

"It said I had called it weak and that I was wrong," she continued. "Then it shoved me against the wall. At first, I just thought it had broken a rib but it _burns _Derek… it's worse than wolfsbane." I opened my mouth but she lifted a hand, shaking her head.

"There's more," she said. "When I went to check on Scott, I ran into Jennifer." She told me about the tense conversation with the teacher and how the teacher had acted when she had mentioned cowardice.

"What, do you think the Darach is Jennifer?" I asked doubtfully. "She hardly looks like a stone cold killer." Lyra's jaw clenched.

"I don't know, Derek, but no matter how innocent she looks, anyone is capable of murder," she replied. I nodded a little, knowing she had a point.

"Murderers are cowards," I repeated softly. Lyra shot me sharp look.

"Don't," she snarled softly. "Don't you dare clump yourself in that category. Murderers are people like Deucalion and the Darach, they plan and kill for their own gain. Derek, you've-,"

"I killed Paige," I said softly. Lyra froze, the blood draining from her face.

"She was already dying," she whispered.

"And that _justifies_ it?" I demanded, crossing my arms, glaring. "I'm a killer, Lyra."

"Well, guess what, so am I! I killed ten wolves because I wanted revenge and look at me! _Look! _Every day I struggle with my wolf, I struggle with this craving for power, with the temptation that if I kill just one more time, I will get stronger, faster, deadlier… If you want to call yourself a murderer, fine, then what do you call me, Derek?" Her eyes shot violet sparks of fury at me.

"_Paige was innocent!_" I bellowed, clenching my fists by my sides. "Those wolves knew what they were doing when they were killing your family but Paige was just a scared little girl! And every day I have to live with knowing I killed her because of who I am!"

"She died because of _Ennis!_" Lyra shouted back. "He gave her the bite and her body couldn't take it! You showed her mercy by snapping her spine, Derek, or she would have died choking of her own blood!"

"Oh, well, now I'll _finally_ be able to sleep at night! Thank you! I never thought of it like that, it's _so much _better!"

Suddenly both of our phones started buzzing.

"What?" we snapped together.

"Derek! It's Cora!" Stiles said.

_"I'm going with Allison, she thinks her father might be the Darach_," Isaac was telling Lyra. She ended the call while I shoved my phone in my pocket. She stormed by me but I quickly snagged her arm. She whirled, growling in warning, her eyes going red-violet.

"I heard," she hissed. "You go, I have to go to Isaac." I gritted my teeth.

"I-," I began but Lyra jerked out of my hold. Her eyes were still spitting with anger.

"I have to go," she snapped before walking away. I watched her go, clenching my fists tighter, trying o keep my claws from exploding from their nail beds.

_I need you with me_ was what I was going to tell her. My shoulders sagged. Despite this fight, I needed her by my side. This was Cora, my baby sister, but Lyra was already gone, speeding out of the parking lot.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

"_Fuck!_" I screamed in frustration. With Derek, I felt like we took five steps forward only to be shoved ten steps back. I regretted my words, just like I had when I had said them to Jennifer. If Jennifer was the Darach, I had just opened up another invitation for her- it- to attack myself again or worse, Derek. I had regretted putting that hurt look in Derek's eyes by reminding me of the skeletons in his closet.

_Murderers aren't cowards, Lyra, you are,_ a voice in my head whispered. _But that's what you really meant all along, wasn't it?_

I punched the steer wheel again, feeling my skin crawl with self loathing. The voice was right, I had denied that though being about myself, but it was right- I was a coward. I called murderers cowards because I was a cowardly murderer myself. I might have killed those wolves out of revenge, but I had run away with my tail tucked between my legs. I had left a trail of dead bodies after me, and now more were piling up because of this Darach, and because of the Alphas.

I choked, slapping a hand over my mouth. I knew Kali had gone after Derek because of Ennis, but she had gone through me, using our weakness for each other. She had attacked me then forced Derek to kill Boyd to destroy Derek. Kali wanted Derek to suffer like she did, so she would continue to go after me, which meant others might die because of me. I closed my eyes briefly at the thought of someone else- Scott, Isaac- dying because of this battle waging between Derek and I and the Alphas.

I was a coward for hiding behind these innocent people. I use to fight alone, fight for myself, now I had gone _soft _because I had let myself grow attached to a pack. After five years of being a lone wolf, I had fallen into hiding behind the barriers of the pack, and no matter what I did, they fell like chess pieces while I came out with just scratches and bruises.

The mark on my stomach heated up, searing my flesh and I yelped in pain. The amount of self loathing and guilt swimming through me seemed to make the pain worse and I clenched the wheel tighter, trying to breathe.

I pulled over quickly when the pain doubled and I managed to yank my door open just in time to puke up blood. I retched again, barely realizing how the blood was black. I groaned and let myself draw in ragged breaths. I leaned heavily against the door, my heart knocking loudly against my ribs.

When the bout passed, I took off again, driving to where Isaac's call had come from. I saw Allison's black Camry along with Chris Argent's smaller SUV parked in front of an old building. I stiffened when I heard the sounds of gunshots.

Running into the building, I saw the shadow of the Darach taking off. I looked and my gaze collided with Isaac, who looked startled to see me. I barely took the time to jerk my chin at him- _get out of here_- before I sprinted after the creature.

Snarling, I lunged for it but it whirled like a cloud of black mist. Its white eyes burned in the night as it gave me that icy grin of its. I growled and roared loudly, unsheathing my claws and baring my fangs. The creature flew forward and knocked me over and I found myself pinned to the ground, unable to move.

"Weak, weak coward," the creature purred. "Killing everyone around you."

"Get off me, you son of a bitch," I spat, struggling. I screamed out when the Darach dug what felt like talons into my stomach, into the mark, causing waves of pure agony to rip through me.

"_Isaac!_" I screamed. The Darach laughed maniacally.

"Your precious wolf friend can't hear you," it hissed. Its claws jerked and I gasped, spitting up blood as its hand ripped upwards. If it jerked up again, it might disembowel me. I tried not to struggle as I bit back any sounds of pain.

"You call me weak, a coward, when you know it's really you that is weak, Lyra," it said, pushing the hair away from my face. I jerked my chin away from it and snarled as it slammed a clawed hand down on my arm, pinning me down again.

"Don't you see? These murders, they are a necessary evil," the Darach said. I glared venomously up into its pure white eyes.

"Necessary evil, my ass," I growled. The creature titled its head, its teeth bared in that horrible smile.

"Soon you will understand," it replied, digging its talons into me. I bared my fangs at it.

"Then why are you going after me? If you're going to kill me, _just do it_," I snapped.

"I'm not going to kill you. You're not one of them."

"One of _what?_"

"A guardian…a virgin…a philosopher… a healer…a warrior," the creature said slowly. I stiffened and then lunged for the creature again, putting my face close to its, ignoring the ripping pain in my arms and stomach.

"You're not going to kill any more people, not when I'm here," I snarled. The creature's talons twisted and I cried out, jerking in pain as it claws dug deep inside me. It leaned close, so its odd mouth was by my ear.

"I can rip you apart," it purred. "In this form, I can do whatever I want, but I won't kill you Lyra, oh no. In fact, I'm going to heal you. Just like I did all those nights ago, when you and Derek were injured." My gaze snapped up and everything began falling in place.

"One touch and I could heal both of you. Of course, it took a while to take effect since your injuries were from other Alphas…come now, Lyra, what did you think healed you? _Love?_" the creature sneered. I glared and jerked against its hold.

"I'll kill you, I swear to God, I will kill you, you bitch!" I roared. The creature retracted its claws and brushed a hand over my torn flesh. I felt a surge of warmth as my skin knotted itself back together, leaving behind smooth, unmarred skin.

"Soon you will understand," the creature repeated. It disappeared in a swirl of black smoke and I gasped, lunging to my feet.

I looked around then unleashed a howl of fury. How could I be so blind?

I flashed to my car so quickly I blurred. I sped through the streets at breakneck speed; my hands gripped the steering wheel so tight it was beginning to bend under my strength.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I had got to the hospital as soon as I could. I had found Stiles, who explained again what had happened, and how Lyra had burst into the locker room right when Ethan had been dragging Aiden away.

"I don't know, man, she was fine one second then the next she was on my floor!" Stiles said, waving his hands a little. I shoved by him and went into Cora's room. She was lying on the hospital bed, her head wrapped up.

"I'll just…" I glared at Stiles from over my shoulder.

"Yeah, I'll just go," he said before scurrying off. I sat down besides Cora and gripped one of her hands, not liking how still and cold she was. I held her hand close to my lips, praying she would be okay.

"Derek?" I looked up and saw Cora's eyes open as she looked at me with confusion.

"Hey, hey I'm here," I said soothingly, moving closer to her, running a hand down the side of her face and hair.

"What's happening to me?" she asked, unable to keep the fear from trickling into her tone.

"I don't know…but I'm not leaving, okay?" I said firmly. "Not again."

Standing a little, I kissed her forehead softly and sat back down, gripping her hand again. Cora's eyes closed for a little bit again and I tried to soothe myself by listening to her heart beat, which was the only thing that seemed to show that she was okay.

Cora's eyes opened again after ten minutes or so, and I saw her gaze slide over my shoulder. She gave a nod and I looked over my shoulder. Lyra stood in the shadow of the doorway, her eyes dark and expressionless. I blinked, feeling my gut clench at the sight of her cold, blank look.

She stepped forward, moving to the other side of the bed, ignoring my presence. Cora looked at me then up at her. Lyra rested a hand on Cora's forehead and leaned down, kissing her forehead like I had. I heard Lyra inhale very quietly, as if scenting for any internal damage the doctor couldn't find. Her eyes briefly met mine, and they were a deep violet color, which were now troubled.

"Are you okay?" she asked Cora quietly, gazing back down at my sister. Cora looked up at her again.

"I feel okay, I guess," Cora said softly. Lyra ran a hand through Cora's dark hair, running her fingers over the bright blonde streak in the dark mass. Then she looked at me, tilted her head slightly before walking out of the room without another word.

"Go," Cora said. I looked down at her and saw her arch a brow at me. I sighed and kissed her forehead again and she shoved at me weakly.

"'Nough of that," she mumbled, turning her head away. I smiled a little, which faded as I strode after Lyra.

Lyra was standing in the quiet hallway, leaning against the wall with her leg braced against it, arms crossed. Her gaze was fixed on the floor, making her hair fall over one shoulder. It had fallen out of the sloppy braid she had yanked it in earlier.

"I'm sorry," she said softly when I stood across from her, hands in my pockets. I leaned back, mirroring her pose.

"For what?" I asked. Lyra was slow to meet my gaze.

"I'm sorry for what I said. I shouldn't have gone off about the whole 'murderers being cowards' bullshit. I shouldn't have made you remember what happened with Paige… especially since I know you would never use what happened with Matt against me." I was about to protest but she lifted a hand.

"I got him killed, I lead the Alphas to him. No arguing. I just realized today that when I said that, I was talking about me, but I couldn't admit it. I was a murderer, and it doesn't matter if those wolves weren't innocent, I still killed them with the intent to kill. And I am a coward for running away and leaving my family behind to those monsters." Lyra's voice began to go hollow and it cracked.

"I…I'm weak, Derek," she said, looking down. Her shoulders even curled in slightly as if she was drawing herself inward.

"I failed to keep my family safe, I failed to keep Matt safe… now I've failed to keep you and he pack safe. Kali only wants to go after me, but she's going to use my weakness for you, and your weakness for me, to her advantage. She's going to destroy you, through me and I _can't _let that happen… I can't watch you die because of me-,"

"Lyra," I said firmly, cutting her off. She shook her head again, looking up at me sharply.

"It's not just me who sees this, Derek. The Darach attacked me again, telling me I was the true coward. It said I kill everyone around me…and maybe it's right."

"And you really believe this thing?" I asked in a quiet, shocked voice. Lyra just stared at me, the answer in her dark eyes. I shook my head at her this time.

"I can't believe you," I scolded. "Why would you think that even for a second you are any of those things?"

"Then what am I?" Lyra asked in a shockingly defeated tone. I took one step forward to rest my hands along her arms, running them up to hold her shoulders. I leaned down a little so my face was close to hers.

"You are an incredibly strong leader, Lyra," I said softly, lifting a hand to tilt her chin up. Her eyes met mine.

"You are smart and reliable," I continued. "You're unafraid and fiercely loyal and protective…not to mention beautiful." Lyra's eyes lowered and I nudged her chin again.

"Hey," I whispered. She looked at me again. "I mean it. You have your past and I have mine, okay? But I wouldn't change anything about you. You're perfect in your own way."

"How can you be so sure?" she murmured. I ran my thumb over the length of her chin before tracing her bottom lip.

"Call it instinct," I said. There, that made her smile a little. Her hand lifted to cover mine and she squeezed. Her gaze met mine steadily now.

"Thank you," she whispered. "For not giving up on me." I smiled, leaning closer.

"I could thank you for the same thing," I murmured before pressing my lips gently to hers.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I didn't tell Derek about who the Darach was. When he had pulled away from kissing me, he had gone back into Cora's room to sit with her. I knew he was worried about her; we both were, since we didn't understand why she wasn't healing.

I felt bad from keeping this from him, but when I got a text from Isaac and Scott indicating the Darach had taken Stiles's dad, I knew its identity was known to them as well.

I stepped out in the hallway and managed to get a three-way call between Isaac and Scott, Isaac explaining how he, Allison and Chris had followed the Darach back to the school, and then Scott explaining how he had followed Lydia to Jennifer's classroom, where she had had Lydia tied up. He said how Jennifer looked normal, until the Sheriff had shot her and she had healed so quickly, then had moved into the monster she truly was. He said the Darach then had taken the Sheriff before Scott could heal and get to him and before Stiles could get into the classroom. I closed my eyes and told them to let me know if anything else happened. I hung up and went back inside the room.

I saw that Cora had fallen asleep and so had Derek, whose head was resting against Cora's side. His sister's arm was over his shoulder and I leaned against the wall, watching them. I rubbed a hand over my eyes, wondering when this nightmare was ever going to end for any of us.

Ooo0ooO

**Author's Note: I knew there was a reason why I didn't trust Blake! Ah! I love the idea of Lydia being a banshee, though, since she kind of is an omen of death. Ah, well. Lots of drama and more fighting to come!**

**Let me know what you thought of this chapter, please!**


	12. The Darach

Chapter Eleven: The Darach

(Derek's POV)

Cora wasn't any better when I jerked awake a few hours later. Her breathing was shallow and haggard, her skin pale and cold and her heart beat weak. I looked around and saw Lyra reclined in the chair on the other side of the bed, with her eyes closed and her arms folded over stomach.

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up," she said, opening one blue violet eye. I ran a hand through my hair and noticed the sounds of thunder booming.

"A storm?" I asked. Lyra shrugged.

"It blew in a little while ago. It's getting nastier by the minute."

"Why are we still here?" Lyra opened both eyes so she could glare at me.

Right, stupid question.

"Peter's on his way," Lyra said as she stood up. "He'll keep an eye on Cora. You and I are needed elsewhere."

"Why? What happened?"

"I'll explain everything once Peter shows up so I don't have to repeat the story," Lyra said firmly. I eyed her. She seemed tense, on edge, which made me uneasy. Whenever she was like this, it often meant something was wrong. Really wrong.

Peter arrived twenty minutes later, ignoring Lyra's comment of his tardiness. He walked across the room to lay a hand on Cora's forehead and frowned.

"No improvement?" he asked, looking at me. I shook my head and Lyra cleared her throat.

"Listen, we got a problem. A big problem," she said with a deep sigh. I watched as she rubbed her eyes and I noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Could werewolves get that tired?

Lyra calmly explained everything that had been happening since Cora had been admitted to the hospital. She told us about what Stiles and Scott figured out, and about who Jennifer Blake really was, along with the fact that there was a lunar eclipse creeping up on us.

"We have to go back to the loft," she concluded. "Stiles and Scott are waiting for us there, and I bet Blake is dashing over there to explain everything to us."

"Why would you think that?" Peter asked.

"Because if she really is the Darach, that means she was an emissary, and from what I learned by watching Deaton, she'll know a lot more than we thought she did. She'll know Scott will come to Derek to tell him about her and she knows I'll go after her. That bitch isn't getting her claws into me again," she said through gritted teeth. Peter nodded slowly.

"I'll watch over Cora," he said to me. I glanced at Cora but followed Lyra out of the room. she walked swiftly down the hospital hallways.

"How could we not see this?" I said out loud, clenching my fists.

"She's a Darach, Derek, she hid her true form from us. I'm willing to bet she was one of the Alpha's emissaries." I looked at her sharply.

"Wouldn't you know about that, seeing you were the one tracking them for five years?" I demanded. Lyra whirled on me as we walked into the parking lot.

"This was before that, Derek," she snapped. "The Alphas began killing their pack and emissaries before they tracked down my family."

"And what, they never talked about it when you were following them?" I asked harshly. "And how could you miss that Jennifer Blake wasn't human? You're an older Alpha and she slipped right through your fingers!"

"Why are you placing the blame on _me?_" Lyra snarled, her eyes flashing red. "She got past everyone, even the pack for these past few years! I didn't know they were really hunting her the whole time I was tracking them they don't exactly talk much when they're killing other werewolves to gain power!"

"Innocent people are dying, Lyra!" I nearly shouted. My jaw nearly broke as Lyra's fist connected with it and my face snapped to the side. I felt a trickle of blood fall from my split lip.

"Don't you think I know that, Derek?" Lyra growled. "I watched as Deucalion ripped my family apart, I watched as he ripped out my sister's _heart _right in front of me! I can't save everyone, not with an Alpha pack on our asses, with one of them plotting to kill either you or me, on top of this fucking Darach! _I am not a hero_."

I opened my mouth but she snarled so viciously I decided to keep quiet. Her eyes were blazing red and her fangs were bared at me before she took control and shifted back. She took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes at me.

"Now, we can either keep fighting or we can go and _try_ to save people," she said before storming off to her car. I frowned at her and shoved aside all the crap I had just started up. Why the fuck did I just pick a fight with her? I knew we were both were on edge, and the impending lunar eclipse wasn't helping…but fuck. I had fucked up. Again.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I wanted to feel bad for punching Derek. I wanted to feel bad for yelling at him. But goddamn it, he was so _infuriating _sometimes. I _knew _he was only lashing out because he was scared for Cora and we both were wary about the Alphas and the Darach but…

Just but. I knew when to drop things, and right now I needed to focus on the problem on hand, not another petty fight I had with Derek.

We both got back to the loft and found Stiles and Scott waiting for us. I saw how distraught Stiles was since his dad was taken and I couldn't help but feel a tug of sympathy for the kid.

"Lyra! Derek!" Scott exclaimed when we walked inside. I strode over to them, making sure they were okay before laying a hand on Stiles's shoulder in comfort. His big hazel brown eyes were filled with tears and I felt a spike of anger pierce through me.

"Come on," I said gently, urging the boys into the other room so I could get them something to drink. They both ignored the water bottles I handed them as they looked down at their hands helplessly.

"What are we going to do?" Stiles finally asked, looking up at me. The sisterly instinct I felt for these boys took over as I ran a hand over Stiles's hair soothingly.

"We're going to get him back, Stiles. I promise," I said firmly. Stiles stared at me for a long moment before dropping his gaze.

When I heard the sound of heels running to the door, I clenched my hands into fists and moved into the main room to wait for Jennifer's arrival.

The front door opened and I crossed my arms in front of me as Jennifer came running in wearing the most ridiculous shoes I had ever seen. How can women even _move _in those?

"Derek? Lyra? Where are you?" she called before spotting me.

"Right here," I said calmly, walking a few steps to the side, watching her carefully. Derek appeared by my side with his arms crossed as well.

"Oh, thank God," Jennifer said with relief. She dashed over to me and grabbed my hands tightly. I resisted the urge to rip them from her body.

"Something happened at the recital, at the school, I need to tell you before you hear any of it from them," Jennifer said in a rush while squeezing my hands.

"From who?" Derek asked.

"Scott. Stiles. They're going to tell you things, things you can't believe, and you have to trust me, okay? You trust me, right, Lyra?" she asked, her gaze shifting from Derek to me.

"Of course," I lied smoothly.

"What is it?" Derek asked, shifting slightly so he was completely facing her.

"Promise you'll listen to me," Jennifer beseeched. I saw Derek nod at her.

"Promise," I replied. Jennifer smiled and squeezed my hands again. I gritted my teeth slightly and couldn't stop myself from shifting slightly away from her. Jennifer's eyes scrutinized me for a moment before her lips thinned.

"They're already here, aren't they?" she asked in a low, dangerous tone. She dropped my hands and I tilted my chin up slightly at her. Derek turned to look as Scott and Stiles stepped into the main room, both of them eyeing Jennifer with mixed expression of wariness and anger. She followed Derek's gaze and stilled when she spotted the teenagers.

"So, they told you it was me? That I'm the one taking people?" she demanded, looking back at me venomously.

"We told him you're the one killing people," Scott corrected. My eyes flickered briefly over to him and I saw he was clenching something in his hands. I narrowed my eyes at the bottle which held a cinnamon colored powder. Was that…?

"_Oh_, that's right, committing human sacrifices while cutting their throats?" Jennifer said sarcastically. "Yeah, I probably do it on my lunch hour that way I can get back to teaching high school English the rest of the day, that makes _perfect_ sense."

"Sounds about right to me, since before school hours you have taken to finding me and torturing me. Not very well, I might add, see, I'm fine but boy…am I _angry_," I said slowly. Jennifer laughed incredulously.

"Where's my dad?" Stiles asked, stepping forward. I looked at Scott and tilted my head to the side slightly, which made him nod and take a protective step in front of Stiles.

"How should I know?" Jennifer demanded, finally looking at Derek again. "Derek, tell me you don't believe this!"

"Do you know what happened to Stiles's father?" Derek asked in a surprisingly calm voice. I looked over my shoulder at him and saw the barely restrained anger in his eyes.

"No…"

"Ask her why she almost killed Lydia," Scott said.

"Lydia _Martin?_ I don' know anything about that!"

"What do you know?" Derek asked, his tone becoming harsher.

"I know that these boys, for whatever misguided reason, are filling your head and Lyra's head with an obscure story- one they can't prove by the way!"

Jennifer glared at the teenagers and I couldn't help but chuckle a bit. She looked at me again with wide eyes and I smirked.

"What if we can?" Scott asked. When she looked back at him, he lifted the small vial of powder.

"What is that?" Jennifer asked quietly. Scott walked forward, unscrewing the cap.

"My boss told me it's both a poison and a cure, which means you can use it and it can be used against you," he explained.

"_Mistletoe?_" Jennifer said in disbelief.

Scott threw the powder at her and I stepped back as I heard the high pitched screech erupt from her as her body morphed into the Darach briefly. Jennifer cried out again, her body twisting to the side before she gained control of herself again. Her gaze slid to Derek and I and I saw Derek lunge forward just as she tried to head for the door.

In sync with each other, Derek grabbed her throat while I grabbed her hands, shoving them behind her back. I growled quietly in warning as she gasped and struggled.

"Derek, wait, Lyra, wait!" Scott cried out, moving closer to us. I watched Derek unsheathe his claws on his free hand and I dug my own into Jennifer's arms.

"You need me," Jennifer gasped, squirming.

"What are you?" Derek snarled.

"The only person who can save your sister!" she exclaimed. Derek stiffened and I tightened my grip on her hands.

"You're lying," I snapped.

"Call Peter. Call him!" Jennifer beseeched, ignoring me.

"Lyra," Derek hissed. I released Jennifer's hands, which flew up to Derek's hand on her throat. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Peter's number.

"Hello?" Peter answered in a strained voice.

"How's Cora doing?" I asked, glaring up at the woman in Derek's grasp.

"It's not good, she's in and out of consciousness, she's vomiting up black blood along with another alarming substance," Peter said worriedly.

"Mistletoe," Derek stated.

"How did you know that?" Peter asked. I frowned at this.

"Keep an eye on her," I ordered before hanging up on him. When Jennifer wheezed sharply, I looked up to see Derek's hand clenching her throat tighter and tighter, efficiently crushing her windpipe.

"Derek? Derek, what are you doing?" Scott shouted.

"Her life- it's in my hands!" Jennifer choked. Derek ignored her and lifted her higher in the air and I watched as her cheeks began to turn pink then red.

"Stop, Derek, stop!" Stiles yelled desperately. Scott kept yelling Derek's name as well.

"Stilinski, you'll never find him," Jennifer hissed. I bared my teeth at her before stepping forward and laying my hand on Derek's arm.

"Derek," I said quietly, but firmly. Derek's gaze moved to me and we stared at each other for a moment before he released Jennifer. She crumpled to the ground in a heap.

"That's right, you need me…all of you," Jennifer taunted.

Ripping my gaze away from Derek, I crouched in front of her, grabbing her hair. I bared my fangs and yanked her forward so I could run them along her pulse.

"Be that as it may, I can still rip your throat out as soon as you become more trouble than you're worth," I whispered against her ear. I threw her back and stood slowly.

"I'd like to see you try," Jennifer snapped. I smirked, tilting my head to the side, but I didn't answer her.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I watched as Lyra all but dragged Jennifer down to the basement garage. I didn't comment on it, instead I told Scott and Stiles to stay close to us and to follow us to the hospital in Stiles's Jeep.

"Can I at least get shot gun?" Jennifer asked as Lyra shoved her towards my car. Lyra simply snarled at her while yanking open the back door and getting inside. Jennifer got in obediently while I slid in behind the wheel.

The car ride was tense. Jennifer was looking out the window while Lyra's eyes were pinned to her, as if she was watching to make sure the woman didn't make a run for it. I just focused on getting us there in one piece, since the weather had gotten worse.

"You should know I'm not doing this because I have to," Jennifer began, looking at me then at Lyra. "I want to. I could still run and you wouldn't have an easy time stopping me-,"

Lyra sneered at her but Jennifer ignored her.

"But I don't want your sister to die…I'm only doing what I had to."

"What you _had _to do," Lyra said darkly. "You just _had _to kill innocent people and you just _had _to take Stiles's father. Right, okay."

"Lyra," I warned. I looked at Jennifer briefly. "Shut up."

"You need to know the whole story, Derek," Jennifer continued, eyeing me. "You need to know just how connected we really are."

"Stop talking," I ordered. Jennifer seethed a little but quieted down. I saw Lyra lean back and I met her gaze in the rear view mirror briefly. Her eyes were red-violet, which was also never a good sign.

When we reached the hospital, Lyra jumped out of the car and blocked Jennifer's path so I could grab hold of her. We quickly got drenched from the rain as we waited for a moment as Stiles and Scott pulled up to the hospital.

The two boys scrambled out of the Jeep and I watched Lyra stride off to the entrance without a backwards glance. I followed her, tugging Jennifer's arm and ignoring as she protested against my tight grip.

As we walked through the entrance doors, I saw Lyra standing at the receptionist desk, looking around warily. I walked up to her with Jennifer and touched her arm with my free hand.

"Lyra," I said. She blinked and looked up at me.

"Sorry, I thought I… Never mind. Let's go," she said in a rush before turning on her heel to continue down the hallway.

"Scott! Scott!"

Everyone turned at Melissa's call and Scott stepped towards his mother with concern. Melissa looked at all of us with confusion.

"What are you doing here? The hospital's evacuating," she said.

"We're here for Cora," Scott explained.

"All of you?" Melissa asked. Her gaze went to Stiles, who was clenching a wooden bat with one hand. "Why does Stiles have my bat?"

"Mom, just trust me on this, you need to get out of here, right now," Scott ordered. Melissa looked at me and she nodded before looking back at her son.

"The building's supposed to be clear in thirty minutes, we got two ambulances that are coming back, one's ten minutes out, the other twenty, Cora needs to be on one of those," she explained. "They'll be picking up in the basement garage."

"Got it," Scott said. Lyra stepped forward and leaned in close to Melissa. I heard her murmur something to her, but I didn't catch what when my attention changed to the flickering hospital lights.

"Okay?" Lyra asked. I looked and saw Melissa nod at her before Lyra turned and led us towards the elevators.

Stiles and Scott entered the elevator first while Lyra stood between them. They looked like her sentinels as they watched Jennifer carefully as I pulled her inside the shaft. The door's closed and I could feel the continual tension rolling off of everyone, but I was more aware of Lyra's, since it was so overpowering.

"You don't have to keep me on a leash, Derek, I'm going to help," Jennifer finally said, glaring at me.

"Isn't it a thing to keep bitches on a leash?" Lyra asked sarcastically.

"Why, do you wear one too?" Jennifer asked sweetly, looking at her. I grabbed her arm tighter as a silent warning and she laughed mockingly.

"Kinky," Jennifer whispered to me. I kept my eyes forward, determined to ignore her antagonizing comments. I could sense Stiles and Scott's glares towards their teacher and she eventually noticed it too.

Once the elevator reached the floor Cora was on, we all stepped out and headed down the hallway. Lyra stiffened a little as she looked around and I paused in front of Cora's door. There was a puddle of black blood on the floor but Cora or Peter were nowhere to be seen.

"Derek," Scott said. I turned and saw the blood lead out of the room and down the hallway. I glanced at Lyra, whose eyes were fixed on the set of doors at the end of the hallway. She blinked and suddenly, her eyes were red. Before I could say anything, the doors were flung open and Peter went flying across the hallway and slid all the way to our feet.

"Peter!" Lyra exclaimed, kneeling by him. He looked up at us with a disoriented expression.

"We got a problem," he said, looking back down the hallway. "Big problem."

My gaze snapped up when I heard a loud roar echo reverberate down the hallway. Ethan and Aiden's morphed form stood at the end of the corridor and I heard Lyra snarl softly. She looked at me and I nodded.

Together, we charged down the hallway and attacked the massive wolf. Lyra used the wall as a springboard to slash down on the twin's shoulder, causing them to snarl viciously. I knocked them back a few steps and I fought them with all my might.

Scott rushed up, mimicking Lyra's attack while crashing down on the huge wolf's side. Lyra swung low and took out the twin's legs with a swipe of her leg. The twins stood and knocked her aside and grabbed Scott, pinning him to the wall.

I barely registered Stiles and Peter darting by to grab Cora as I looked down the hallway. I saw Jennifer moving away slowly, back towards the elevator.

"Ethan, Aiden, stop! You don't know what you're doing!" Scott yelled at the massive wolf.

"All we want is her!" the morphed wolf growled.

"Lyra!" I shouted. Lyra took off down the hallway so quickly she nearly blurred. Jennifer's eyes started glowing white and she thrusted her hands forward, slamming them into Lyra's chest. Lyra screamed and went flying back, crashing hard into the wall, causing the plaster to crack. I charged down the hallway but the elevator doors closed, taking Jennifer away.

"Lyra!" I exclaimed again, kneeling by her. She hissed and growled, her body writhing in pain. I saw two handprints on her chest, which looked like the burns she had had on her stomach before. Her eyes flashed between purple and red and her fangs gnashed together.

"Lyra," I said more gently. Her eyes rolled around a little before settling on me. I reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder softly. Lyra groaned a little and clenched her eyes shut. When they opened, they were red again and I watched as the marks faded from her skin.

"I'm fine, I'm okay," she panted, pushing me away a little as she stood. I stared at her and she stared back for a moment before she began jogging down the hallway. I followed her, still worried, as we went after the others.

Ethan and Aiden's morphed wolf appeared again and Lyra attacked him viciously, slamming him against the wall, pinning them with her strength. She snarled at him and looked at me briefly.

"Go!" she shouted. I took off past them, following Cora and Peter's scent. I caught up with them quickly.

Don't stop, don't stop!" I ordered as we entered another room.

"Lyra?" Peter asked as he held Cora in his arms.

"She's holding them off!"

I turned a little to see Stiles pause, clenching the bat tighter. The door burst open as the huge wolf threw Lyra across the room. She managed to turn her body to land on her feet in cat-like agility.

"Stiles!" I yelled. Stiles stepped up behind the large Alpha and slammed the bat into its head, which had no affect on it.

"Lyra, down!" Scott suddenly yelled. Lyra crouched quickly as I watched as Scott jumped off the floor, springing from her back to grab at the overhead lights, ripping it down, causing it to slam into Ethan and Aiden.

Lyra grabbed Stiles and pulled him front the room as Scott and I followed quickly, running after Peter and Cora.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

As we ran from Ethan and Aiden, I felt my strength fading away slowly. I knew it was partially because of the eclipse that was slowly approaching but the other reason was because of Jennifer's branding. It was like she zapped the strength right out of me when she used her magic to burn me. I ignored it, since my anger and my urge to protect Derek and the others was keeping me going.

We burst into another room and Peter laid Cora down briefly. He looked up as Derek and I closed the door behind us. I leaned against it briefly, allowing myself to take a breath.

"Where's the big guy?" Peter asked.

"He's close," Derek replied, looking out the door's window for a moment.

"What about Ms. Blake?" Stiles asked, glancing at Scott. I felt my lip curl as Scott shook his head slightly.

"What do you mean, what does that mean, like she's gone? Scott, are you kidding me?" Stiles shouted.

"Quiet!" Derek snapped. Stiles whirled to glare angrily at Derek.

"Me be quiet? Huh? Me?" he demanded, getting into Derek's face. "You're telling me what to do know, when that psychotic mass murdering teacher friend of yours has got my dad tied up somewhere waiting to be ritually sacrificed?"

I stepped forward and laid my hands on Stiles's chest, pushing him away from Derek gently. He looked down at me and I shook my head. He jerked away from me.

"Stiles, they're still out there," Scott said urgently.

"And they want her, right? Which means now we don't have her either so now my dad and Cora are both dead!" Stiles hissed.

"Not yet," Scott replied. I looked at Derek briefly as Scott went to stand by Cora. Derek met my gaze and we stared at each other for a long moment. Wordlessly, I reached out and brushed my hand against his. He trailed a finger along the back of my hand in response.

"Is she really dying?" Scott asked quietly. I moved over to his side, looking down at Cora.

"She's definitely not getting any better," Peter replied. He was right, she was too pale and her skin was coated in a layer of sweat. I could smell the sickness inside her.

"There has to be something we can do, we have to help her," Scott said, looking at the older werewolf. A shiver went down my spine and I turned to see Jennifer enter to the room.

"You can't. Only I can. I can save her and I can tell you where Sheriff Stilinski is," she said, walking inside. "There is a pack of Alphas in this hospital that want me dead, so I'll help you, but only when I'm out of here and safe. Only then."

"Fuck," I said under my breath. Derek looked at me again. My lips thinned.

"I knew I sensed them when we got here," I explained. "I wasn't sure at first since I was distracted but I figured they'd track her down." I glared at Jennifer as I absently rubbed my chest, right where she had burned me.

Derek watched me then turned to Jennifer. He lunged forward and Scott moved quickly to block his path.

"Derek ,wait!" Scott ordered.

"She was trying to get out _and _she attacked Lyra!" Derek snapped.

"I was trying to keep from getting killed, you can't blame me for that," Jennifer said haughtily. I crossed my arms and glared at her.

"Hey, if you want to show that you're one of the good guys then heal her," Stiles demanded, pointing at Cora.

"Not until I'm safe," she snapped.

"I'd like to volunteer a different method of persuasion, let's torture her," Peter suggested. I nearly grinned.

"Works for me," Derek and I said in unison as we stepped towards Jennifer. The teacher took a wary step back but we paused when we heard the crackling of the intercom.

"Um, c-can I have your attention?" Melissa said in a trembling voice. "Mr. Deucalion, e-excuse me, just Deucalion, requests you bring the woman calling herself Jennifer Blake to the E.R. reception, do this and everyone else can leave. You have ten minutes."

"Son of a _bitch!_" I exclaimed, gritting my teeth.

"He's not going to hurt her," Jennifer said calmly.

"Shut up," Derek snapped, pointing a warning finger at her.

"He _won't_. Scott, you know why. Tell them it's true," she said, shifting her gaze to Scott. I looked at him questioningly.

"What does she mean?" Derek asked. Scott remained quiet before Jennifer sighed impatiently.

"You're not the only one he wants in his pack," she replied, arching a brow at Derek. "Deucalion doesn't just want an Alpha pack, he wants perfection. That means adding the rarest of Alphas to his ranks."

"A true Alpha," Peter said softly. I closed my eyes as it all clicked into place. I knew something had changed within Scott, I just come to terms with it. He was so young.

"What's that?" Stiles asked. I opened my eyes and stepped closer to Scott.

"The kind that doesn't have to steal his power from another," I said quietly, looking at Peter than Derek. "One that can rise by the force of his own will."

"Our little Scott," Peter commented, looking at the teenager with an interested expression.

"Doesn't matter," Scott said, looking at Derek. "We still need to get her out of here."

"Scott, your mom-," Stiles began but Scott cut him off.

"My mom said there's one more ambulance coming in twenty minutes. I don't think we've been here that long, so if we get down to the garage and get to the ambulance, we can get out of here."

"The twins aren't just going to let us walk out," Peter pointed out. Scott and I exchanged a look and I nodded at him, rolling my shoulders.

"I'll distract them," Scott said firmly.

"You mean fight them," Derek amended.

"Whatever I have to do."

"I'll help you."

"Um, sorry but I'm not going anywhere without you, Derek," Jennifer said. I turned my gaze back to her and glared again.

"I'll do it," I offered, looking at Scott again.

"So will I," Peter said, stepping away from Cora to look at me. "But I prefer to be out there with an advantage." I raised my brows at him with surprise. I wasn't expecting him to offer to fight, since he still wasn't at the top of his game.

"Advantage like what, you mean like a weapon?" Stiles inquired.

"Something better than a baseball bat," Peter replied with a hint of sarcasm. I looked around the room and clapped my hands together.

"Well, let's start looking for whatever will help us," I said.

We combed through the room quickly, searching through drawers and cabinets. I raised my brows at the impressive size of the needles I found.

"Hey, wait, what about these?" Stiles asked, holding up shock paddles. I looked at him with mild disbelief.

"Do you know how to use those?" Derek wanted to know.

"Well, no," Stiles muttered. I shook my head and kept looking through the drawers.

"Put them down," Derek ordered.

"Epinephrine?" Scott asked, holding up a large needle.

"That's only going to make him stronger," Derek pointed out.

"How strong?" Peter drawled, eyeing the needle. I tilted my head to the side.

"Strong enough," I concluded, taking the needle from Scott. I walked over to Peter, holding up the needle with my thumb on the plunger.

"Ready?" I asked, arching my brows. Peter braced himself and I slammed the needle right into his heart, pushing down the plunger. He gasped and his eyes flashed blue for a moment as he stumbled away from me and out of the room.

I stepped out behind him, looking down the hallway where the twins were standing in their singular form. I sensed Scott shadowing me as Peter ripped the needle from his chest and threw it aside.

"All right, boys," he said. "Let's rumble."

The twins roared in response and began running forward. I snarled and sprinted forward with Peter and Scott right behind me.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

The sounds of snarling and ripping echoed down the hallway as I followed Stiles through the double doors into the basement garage. I felt a fleeting sense of worry shoot through me for Lyra as I carried Cora into the garage.

"It's still here!" Stiles shouted from over his shoulder as he ran over to the ambulance. He opened the door while I got Cora inside quickly. Stiles knelt over my sister with concern and I glanced over at Jennifer.

"Derek, over here," she said, looking at me then back to the spot she was staring at on the other side of the bus. I moved to her side and saw the driver lying in a pool of his own blood with a trail of bloody footprints leading away from it.

Lyra's scent blew towards me in a gust of wind as she appeared behind the ambulance. She murmured for Stiles to be quiet as she shut the door silently. Her eyes met mine briefly.

"Scott and Peter are still distracting the mega wolf," she said softly. Before I could reply, I heard the stealthy sound of bare footsteps approaching us.

"Julia," a sing song voice called. Kali appeared, swinging the driver's keys, before she stopped a few feet away from Jennifer and me. "It is you."

Jennifer stepped slightly behind me while she glanced up at me.

"You can't beat her on your own," she whispered. Lyra shifted so she was facing Kali with me.

"What am I, chopped liver? You go, I'll hold her off," she ordered, not taking her eyes away from the other female Alpha.

"And that, Jennifer, that's why we're going to run," I said, looking down at Lyra. She finally looked up and gave me a crooked smile before her eyes went to red. I grabbed Jennifer's arm and we took off as Kali roared. Lyra snarled in response and I heard the slamming of a body against the concrete as Jennifer and I ran back inside the hospital.

"Wait, wait, they left it open!" Jennifer called as I turned down the hallway. I looked and saw the elevator was still open.

A loud crash came from behind me and when I looked, I saw Kali pinning Lyra to the wall, her claws digging into Lyra's throat. Lyra clawed Kali's cheek and the other Alpha released her with a snarl.

"Lyra!" I shouted. Her gaze whipped towards me and I kicked a stretcher towards her and Kali. She leaped over it, tucking her body so she landed on her feet as it crashed into Kali's middle. Lyra darted forward, turning her body in a mid circle as the elevator doors slid shut an inch in front of her face.

She exhaled softly and her eye cooled. The lights began flicking inside the elevator and Lyra looked over at me with a wary expression. We went up a few feet before crashing to a stop.

"Oh come _on_," Lyra hissed, slamming her fist against the door. She then leaned against the back wall beside Jennifer, who gave her a dirty look before stepping slightly away from her. Sighing, I stepped towards the shaft doors and slid them open. They wouldn't budge past about two feet and I growled softly in frustration.

"They won't open all the way, it's a safety precaution," Lyra muttered, rubbing her eyes. I tunre don my heel and glanced up at the hatch on the roof of the shaft.

"Ah, if you're thinking service hatch, they bolt from the outside," Jennifer interjected. "So you'd have to break it… all you'd end up doing is creating a lot of noise, telling them exactly where we are."

"Kali already knows," I said pointedly.

"Not necessarily. She saw that we got in but she might not know that we didn't get out," she replied, arching her brow.

"Okay, well, if we get through then we can go to a different floor," Lyra said calmly. Jennifer shot her a sideways glance.

"Or you could end up fighting them alone in an elevator shaft. They'll rip my head off before either of you even have a chance to land a punch."

"I'll take my chances," Lyra said challengingly, stepping forward with her fists clenched. I laid a hand against her arm and she blew out a sharp breath.

"Then someone needs to get the back-up generator running again," I said evenly, taking out my phone to text Scott.

Jennifer leaned back and crossed her arms defensively in front of her as Lyra moved to the opposite side of the elevator, glaring at the teacher. The chime of my phone was the only sound in the shaft besides the tense heart beats.

"Don't move, on our way," I read out loud. Jennifer sighed and Lyra clenched her jaw, thrumming her fingers against her thighs.

I leaned on the wall beside Lyra, careful not to touch her while Jennifer watched us with a scrutinizing eye.

"Anything?" Lyra asked after a few minutes, looking down at my phone screen. I shook my head.

"Derek?" Jennifer said. I looked up at her and saw her shift towards Lyra and me.

"I know what you're thinking; that I'm using you, both of you, to get to the Alphas… or that I'm evil…" Her gaze shifted to Lyra. "A bitch."

"But I hope you guys not thinking the most superficial thought- is that her real face?" she continued, taking a step to the side. "The slashed, mutilated face revealed by the mistletoe. Is that what she really looks like?"

"I don't like looking at either of your faces," Lyra growled. I nudged her with my elbow and she shimmered down. Jennifer ignored her.

"Julia Baccari, that was my name," Jennifer said softly, looking away. I nearly rolled my eyes. What was this- story time?

"I don't care," I said flatly.

"I guess I should have changed it to something with different first letters, I think I read somewhere that people always pick aliases that are subconsciously derivative of their own name . It's a way of not completely letting go of your identity, since you name is so tied to your sense of self. Do you know what else is? Your face. The one that's suppose to be staring back at you in the mirror, not some hacked up atrocity you can't even recognize."

Apparently it was story time.

"I still don't care," I replied, leaning my head back to close my eyes.

"But I bet you're curious. I bet you wonder exactly what happened."

"You were an emissary; they tried killing you along with the rest of the pack," Lyra snapped. "Surprise, surprise."

"Mystery solved," I finished, opening my eyes to pin Jennifer with a cool look.

"I was Kali's emissary," Jennifer agreed, nodding. Her gaze went from me to Lyra. "And I was the one she couldn't kill."

"I feel another story coming on," Lyra muttered.

"You might want to listen then, Lyra, since it involves your precious little boyfriend here," Jennifer snapped. Lyra snarled softly and Jennifer's eyes flashed white for a moment before Lyra quieted again.

"For years the Nemeton's power was virtually gone, with the dying ember of a burnt out fire. But a few months earlier, something happened that caused that ember to glow a little brighter. Something that gave it a spark of power again. A sacrificed virgin. You didn't know what you were doing back then, but killing Paige in the root cellar- sacrificing her there- gave power to the Nemeton. You gave it power again. You gave me power, just enough to hold onto life just a little longer, long enough to be found."

There was a long pause as I tried not to wince at the sound of Jennifer's choked up tone. I hated how intertwined our pasts were and I hated the constant reminder of what I had done to Paige.

"All right, that's it," Lyra said, pushing away from the wall. "I'm going to find out what the hell is going on. Derek?"

She looked at me before pulling the doors open as far as they could. Wordlessly, I placed my hands on her waist, lifting her up. She twisted her body, sliding through the opening with relative ease. I ignored the way my thoughts drifted towards how flexible she really was.

Lyra turned when she was out of the shaft. She glared at Jennifer in a silent warning before her blue-violet eyes turned back to me.

"Be careful, okay?" she said.

"You too."

Before I could react, Lyra's hand darted down and grabbed my shirt, yanking me close. Her lips covered mine as she thoroughly kissed me. She rubbed her lips against mine, growling. I noticed the new note in her growl, which sounded almost possessive. When she pulled back, she smirked at Jennifer before she disappeared.

I turned back to look at Jennifer, who looked at me with a slightly disgusted look on her face. I rolled my eyes at her.

"What?" I snapped. She rolled her eyes before she looked at me consideringly.

"You know mistletoe is important to Druids but do you know the myth of why people kiss under mistletoe?"

"No," I replied shortly.

Here we go again.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I could smell the rest of them inside the hospital. Deucalion was lingering, probably hiding in the shadows with Kali and I picked up on the Argent's scent as well as Isaac's.

I tracked them down on another floor, where they were gathered in a large room that looked like it was set up for x-rays. I opened the door and they all turned to look at me. I noticed Stiles was still gone, which meant he was still with Cora.

"What did I miss?" I asked. Isaac strode over to me and grabbed me, yanking me against him. I hugged him back equally as tightly. When we pulled apart, I nodded at Allison and Chris before looking at Scott.

"How did you get out?" he asked. I smirked.

"I'm bendy," I said smoothly. Allison looked at me with a slight smile as the boys in the room winced.

"What's the plan, Mr. Alpha?" I asked in a firmer tone, arching my brow at Scott. His lips twitched at that.

"We have a plan," he said.

As he explained it to me, I felt a slow smile creep across my face. I pulled out my phone and shot a few texts to Derek. Allison, Chris and Isaac left the room, heading off towards the other direction.

"Good luck," I murmured as they walked away. I saw Isaac turn briefly and I knew he had heard me. I sighed and faced Scott again.

"Let's roll," I said before following him from the room.

We ran together through the hallways and into the stairwell. A screech ripped through the air and Scott paused, causing me to slam into him. I froze and felt a sliver of fear run down my spine.

"Derek," I breathed before taking off again. Scott followed me as I lead him back towards the broken elevator shaft. When I saw that the doors were open and Derek was lying on the ground with Jennifer nowhere in sight, I cursed myself for leaving him.

I threw myself down beside him, rolling him over onto his back. I looked up at Scott, who was staring at him with wide eyes. I could sense Derek's weak heart beat as well as smell the strange odor coming from within him. I rested my hand against his forearm and winced as I pulled some of the sickness from his body to mine, watching as the blackish blood transferred into my arm and faded away.

"Mom," Scott suddenly whispered before taking off for the stairs again.

"Scott, Scott wait!"

I looked up and saw Stiles sprinting down the hallway. He froze when he saw Derek's limp body. As I opened my mouth to order him to help, he dashed off after Scott.

"_Damn it_," I growled. I looked down at Derek briefly. He was breathing fine and though his heart beat was slow, it was steady. I pressed a firm kiss to his forehead, leaning mine against it for a moment.

"Just…keep breathing, okay?" I whispered softly. I laid him gently down before I ran up the stairwell, heading for the roof.

But when I got onto the roof, I could tell I was too late. I turned my head to see Scott walking away with Deucalion and my mind flipped through my options before I turned to Stiles. The teenager barely acknowledged my touch when I grasped his shoulder.

"Stiles! Stiles, you got to listen to me! He'll be fine, I'll make sure of it! Go back to Derek, please, go take care of Derek!" I yelled. Finally, he looked at me with shock.

"But you can't-!"

"I can and I will! Please, trust me," I beseeched. "Just tell Derek I'll be back, okay?"

"Lyra-,"

"Do as I say, Stilinski!" I roared. Stiles flinched and I whirled to look in the direction Scott and Deucalion had disappeared. Stiles scrambled away and I let my wolf rise to the surface and I roared viciously, bounding after the two wolves.

It didn't take long to catch up. Scott's eyes went huge as I approached him and Deucalion.

"Well, well, well," Deucalion said, turning towards me. "This is a rather surprisingly turn of events."

"You want him? You're going to have to take me as well," I snapped, crossing my arms. Deucalion smiled slowly.

"Well, come along then, Lyra Peterson," he said, turning around to continue walking. Scott looked at me and I shook my head.

Briefly, with Deucalion's back facing me, I closed my eyes.

I hoped I had made the right choice.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

The feeling of a fist against my face brought me back from unconsciousness. Instinct took over as I grabbed Stiles's hand before he could punch me again. I looked up at him and immediately noticed Lyra's lingering scent.

_"Just…keep breathing, okay?"_

"Where is she?" I demanded.

Ooo0ooO

**Author's Note: I am so, so, so sorry I'm lagging on updates! I'm so busy with summer classes and work, it's insane! I'm going to try to catch up this story with the show as soon as I can… I'll do my best!**

**Let me know what you thought of this chapter!**


	13. The Sacrifices

**Author's Note: Hello everyone! So a few of you have pointed out or asked how Lyra became an Alpha when her father was killed and how the power of the Alpha should have gone to the wolf who killed him and not to her. Well, young grasshoppers, I have the answer to your question. I've held off filling in this story gap but it will be answered in this chapter. There is a method to my madness and there is a reason why I chose for Lyra to go with Deucalion at the end of the last chapter.**

**Happy reading and please review! You all are amazing!**

Chapter Twelve: The Sacrifices

(Lyra's POV)

It was never my choice to become an Alpha. When I was younger, I accepted my role as a Beta because it was expected of me to do so. I performed my duty within the pack; I was obedient to my Alpha parents.

But I never wanted the burden that came with the power, and I never wanted that power to become a burden.

As I followed Deucalion, I watched him and thought about how that same power had twisted him into the dark, dangerous beast he was and had always been.

"What are you _doing?_" Scott whispered, leaning close to me.

"Improvising," I muttered.

"What about Derek?"

"Stiles will take care of him. He's fine."

_I hope._

"Is there a reason why you two are whispering behind my back? You know I can hear you and well, it's awfully rude," Deucalion said, looking over his shoulder.

"Care to share with the class?" Kali taunted, appearing by my side. I growled at her in warning and she snapped her teeth at me.

"Now, now, ladies, no need to get nasty," Deucalion scolded. "After all, Lyra, you chose to come with us."

"Doesn't mean I have to put up with Clawfoot here," I snapped. Kali lunged for me and slammed me against a tree.

"Stop!" Scott shouted. I sneered at Kali as her eyes faded back to dark brown and she stepped away from me. Scott gave me a wary look before turning to Deucalion.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, Scott," Deucalion said easily. "It's hardly my fault Kali and Lyra have their little…issues they have yet to work out."

"What are you talking about?" Scott demanded. He glanced back at me. "What is he talking about?"

"Lyra and I go _way _back," Kali hummed, moving so she was standing next to Deucalion. "Before she came to Beacon Hills, I had the pleasure of clawing her boyfriend's throat out."

I snarled viciously, striding towards her. Scott blocked my path, resting his hands on my upper arms. I growled, my eyes flashing red.

"Now I get to do it all over again," Kali continued, her voice smug. "And you won't be able to stop me."

"Like _hell_-," I began but Scott's grip tightened significantly.

"Lyra, stop," he said quietly, calmly. "Think of Derek."

I clenched my hands into fists and gritted my teeth. I tried to control the beast within, which was difficult since it wanted to tear Kali and Deucalion into small pieces. But Derek needed me in one piece.

"Does he know, Lyra?" Deucalion suddenly asked. I looked over at the older Alpha.

"Know what?" I asked harshly. Deucalion smiled a little and stepped closer to Scott and me.

"Does he know why I'm not interested in having you in my pack?"

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

"Where is she?" I demanded again, clenching Stiles's hand tighter.

"Jennifer? Gone, with Scott's mom," Stiles said.

"She took her?" I asked with disbelief.

"Yeah and if that's not enough of a kick to the balls, Scott left with Deucalion and Lyra-,"

"I meant her," I hissed, trying to sit up. "Where is Lyra?"

Stiles stared at me for a long moment.

"She…she went with them. Deucalion and Scott. She said she would look after Scott and she told me to make sure you were okay so… we gotta get you out of here, the police are coming right now and we got to get you the hell out of here."

"No," I growled softly. "Lyra-,"

"Lyra will be fine, all right?" Stiles snapped, pulling me into the sitting position. "She's a big girl."

"Whoa, what about Cora?"I asked, looking up at him. Stiles helped me until I was standing.

"She's fine, Isaac and Peter got her out of the ambulance, we have to go find them," Stiles explained, leading me down the hallway. Still feeling weak, I leaned against the scrawny teenager slightly.

"If anything happens to her because you didn't stop her, I swear…" I growled at Stiles.

"Yeah, yeah, you'll rip my throat out. With your teeth. I get it," he muttered. He helped me back to the front doors.

"Listen, I'll hold off the cops, you get to your car and meet the others in the back lot, okay?" Stiles instructed, pushing me towards the door. "Go!"

Quickly, I ran over to my car, feeling my strength return to me. I had to get to Cora, then somehow I had to make sure Lyra was all right…

I shook away those thoughts. I knew Lyra went with Deucalion for a reason, she wasn't stupid. She wouldn't just sacrifice herself to the Alphas for no reason, but whatever that reason was, I didn't know it. I just hoped she would find her way back to me.

Or I'd find my way to her.

I drove over to where the others were and saw Chris, Allison and Isaac standing by Chris's car. I stepped out of mine and slammed the door, walking quickly over to the small black SUV.

"Where are Scott and Stiles?" Allison demanded, raising her voice over the howling wind.

"Stiles is still at the hospital, he's going to hold off the cops for us," I said loudly, walking over to the back door to open it. When I saw Peter was MIA, I nearly sighed.

"We have to go right now," I ordered as Isaac moved over to help me get Cora out of the backseat. He shut the car door and I carried her over to my car. Isaac got in the back with her without a word.

"What about Scott and Melissa?" Chris asked.

"Jennifer took Melissa," I said shortly, closing the door behind Isaac and looking over at them.

"What about Scott?" My gaze shift to Allison before I turned to head to the driver's door.

"What about Scott?" she repeated. "Derek, where's Scott?"

"He's gone," I said. "He went with Deucalion."

"No, no he wouldn't do that!" Allison protested.

"Well apparently he did," I snapped. "And Lyra went with them so hopefully she'll keep him safe but right now I have to save my sister."

Turning my back to the Argent's, I got inside my car and took off for my loft, breaking a few traffic laws along the way.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

"Lyra?" Scott asked slowly. "Wha is he talking about?"

I stared at the other Alpha, into his clouded red eyes. My claws were beginning to dig into the palms of my hands as I tried to control my temper.

"He's talking about the night his pack killed my family. The night he killed my father and my sister," I said in a low voice. Scott's eyes widened and he looked at Deucalion, who smirked.

"Did you know, Scott, that if an Alpha is strong enough, he can will his power to another wolf? You see, Lyra's father, he did that when I killed him. Instead of the power going to me, he used all his will to give his power to Lyra, which made her go from a Beta to an Alpha."

"How is that possible?" Scott asked with a shocked voice. Deucalion shrugged a little.

"It's said it can be done through bloodlines. When an Alpha is dying, he can transmit all his power to the wolf that is suppose to take his place, his Beta. Why do you think Laura Hale became an Alpha after her mother died?"

I stiffened at the mention of Derek's family.

"It's a way of taking care of your pack, handing over the reins to the stronger wolf. You might even call it a sacrifice, I suppose. A sacrifice that takes away the rest of your power, maybe even that last bit of power that would have allowed you to live."

"You son of a bitch, you're _lying!_" I screamed, lunging forward. In a blink of an eye, I found myself on the forest floor with a broken cheekbone. I spat out some blood and glared up at Deucalion, who was flexing his hand.

"Am I?" he asked with a raised brow. "Now, Lyra, I know you're smarter than that. You know I'm telling the truth…perhaps you've known this entire time."

Deucalion turned to face Scott again.

"You see, Scott, that's the difference between you and her. You're a true Alpha, you chose to rise up from your own will. Lyra here, it was thrusted upon her against her will. One might even call her a false Alpha, one that was never meant to rise up."

"I was meant to rise up," I snarled, standing. "But I never wanted this. I never wanted to be like this."

"Yet here you are," Kali cooed, smiling at me mockingly. I ignored her and looked at Scott.

"I am not a _false _Alpha. There's no such thing. You're either a true Alpha or you become an Alpha by taking the power from another. The only gray area is when someone _gives _you that power willingly. My father sacrificed that extra power to me because he was dying, because if he hadn't…" I glared at Deucalion. "Deucalion would be even more powerful than he is now. In the end I never had to take that power from anyone."

"But that certainly didn't stop you from slaughtering half my pack," Deucalion replied coolly.

"You killed my entire family!" I roared.

"You can't call that power you gained a consequence, Lyra," Deucalion said calmly. "Not when you wanted it in the name of revenge."

Glowering, I averted my eyes. Scott rested his hand on my arm again and I tried to shake it off.

"Lyra," the teenager said softly. I shook my head at him.

"He's right," I snarled quietly. I looked at the younger werewolf tiredly. "I killed those wolves because I wanted revenge. I can't take back what I did and I have to live with myself every day with the knowledge of what I did."

"But you're different now," Scott said. "I see how you are with Derek, with Isaac. You're not the same person you were back then."

"Maybe not," I agreed, looking up towards the moon. "But there will always be a darkness inside me that I will never be able to erase."

Suddenly, the twins bounded through the trees, eyes glowing red. The mood shifted as they approached Deucalion.

"She's not at the school or at her apartment," one of them said. Aiden, I think.

"She's running," Deucalion commented. He titled his head consideringly. "Well, let's find her, shall we?"

The twins snarled and they took off into the trees. Kali followed them quickly, leaving Scott and I alone with Deucalion once again.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I stayed by Cora's side as the sun began to creep slowly over the horizon. I had placed her on the spare bed I had moved into the living room some time ago. It was more convenient and with Cora spending nights at Peter's, Lyra and I had barely bothered with trying to make it to my own bed when…

Again, I shoved those thoughts aside when Cora began coughing again. Her lips were covered in black blood, which I had kept wiping off her face all night. I sensed Isaac by my side and knew Peter was still sitting quietly on the staircase.

"She's dying, isn't she?" Isaac asked softly.

"I don't know."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," I repeated tonelessly.

"You want to think of something now?" Isaac demanded. "Because while Scott and Stiles were out there, trying to help people from being killed, you were in here with Lyra, rolling around in the sheets!"

"Don't blame Lyra!" I growled, looking up sharply. "She did everything she could! She sacrificed more than anyone of us did! Jennifer just slipped through our guard."

"Do you get how many people she's killed? Erica and Boyd are dead, Cora is dying and you are doing _nothing!_" Isaac yelled.

"Why did you do this to us, Derek?" he asked in a softer tone. "Is it all about the power? Isn't all of this enough?" Isaac moved so he could bend over close to me.

"Isn't Lyra enough?"

"Maybe," I replied, looking up at him. "Maybe it was about the power, but not now."

"Then what is it, Derek?"

I didn't reply. I hardly knew myself. I closed my eyes briefly.

At first, it was all about the power. That's why I had turned Isaac, Erica and Boyd. I wanted to build up my strength as an Alpha, but then Lyra came along and everything changed. Maybe Jennifer got past us because we were too caught up in each other to notice her. Lyra had taught me the meaning of truly belonging to a pack, and what kind of sacrifices came with it. She was showing that tonight by being with Deucalion. She was putting her own life at risk, despite her strength and cleverness, because she wanted to protect one of our own. Scott might be a true Alpha, one that didn't belong to my pack, but to Lyra that didn't matter.

She never saw the line that separated Scott and myself, the line that dictated we would be different Alphas of different packs. She had always been the one to bring us together, no matter what. It was as if to her, we were all one big pack. One big family.

I looked up at Isaac again, who moved away from me to head towards the door. I could still see he was angry, at me for being careless about Jennifer, and at Lyra for being reckless with Deucalion. I couldn't help but notice how similarly Lyra and Isaac lashed out when they were worried for someone else.

"I told Cora I wouldn't leave," I said to him. "I'll help the others when I figure out how to help her."

"There's no time!" Isaac shouted. "The full moon's coming. The sheriff and Melissa are going to be dead, so I'm going to try to help them and I'm going to find Lyra. You can sit here and perfect the art of doing nothing."

The door slammed and I closed my eyes again.

"I wouldn't take it personally," Peter said from the stairs. I had almost forgotten he was there.

"Anger's just a tool, he's using it to excuse shifting allegiance from one Alpha to another. From you to Scott," he said. I glanced over at him and watched him move into the main room.

"Scott's not an Alpha yet," I reminded him.

"But he's on his way, isn't he?"

Peter looked out the window and I looked back down at Cora. I clenched my jaw and took her hand, squeezing it.

I almost wished Peter wasn't here. Even though he was family, he wasn't the person I wanted by my side at the moment.

The only problem was the person I needed the most was with a psychotic, mass murdering Alpha and his pack.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

Scott and I stayed with Deucalion as the sun came up and the day passed by. We followed him through the woods, which were eerily quiet thanks to his presence.

"Is that why you never told us about your past?" Scott asked me quietly as we walked along. I slid my hands in my back pockets and kicked a twig.

"It's my cross to bear," I stated firmly. "I might not have chosen to become an Alpha right then and there, but it was inevitable. It was my choice to kill those wolves and it was my choice to follow…" I motioned towards Deucalion with my hand.

"At least you have a choice," I pointed out, looking over at Scott. "I hope you remember that, Scott. You _always _have a choice."

Scott considered that for a moment before nodding. He looked over at Deucalion before glancing at me.

"You know, I never wanted this either. I was bitten against my will, by Peter. So I guess I had the choice to use this curse for something good or bad. You had that choice too and you chose to not continue killing."

"I could," I said softly, looking up at the sky with a sigh. "It's something I have to fight every day. It's harder when I lose control of my anger or my wolf. I begin craving that power and I have to fight my way back so I don't lose myself to that darkness."

"Isaac said Derek told him to find an anchor when he was first turned. Derek said his anchor is anger." I snorted.

"I doubt that," I said. "Your anchor is something that ties you down to your humanity. I imagine yours is- or at least was- Allison." Scott looked down and nodded.

"What is yours?" he asked quietly. I looked over at him.

"My sister, Abigail. She was the most human out of all of my family, I think. She never raised her voice or lost her temper. Even when she shifted she was the kindest werewolf you ever saw." I shook my head and Scott nudged his shoulder against mine. I bumped him back in response.

"You miss them," Scott concluded. I nodded.

"Every day. I use to feel so…empty, you know? But when I came here and found all of you, that emptiness sort of faded away." I smiled at Scott.

"You do make a pretty cool older sister," he said with a half smile. I threw my arm over his shoulder in a friendly manner and looked up.

Deucalion had stopped walking and now was facing us. I knew he couldn't exactly _see_ us but his presence still wilted the mood.

"Are we done with our little Hallmark moment?" he asked in a bored tone.

"No one asked you to eavesdrop," I replied, removing my arm from Scott's shoulder. "Or to be a buzz kill."

"My, you really do have your mother's personality."

"Buddy, you have no idea," I said coldly. I shifted so I was in between Scott and Deucalion as we kept walking forward. I shoved past the other Alpha.

"And I think you meant Kodak moment," I called from over my shoulder.

Suddenly, Deucalion appeared right in front of Scott and me in a gust of wind. He grabbed my throat and tightened his hands around my windpipe. I gasped and clawed at his hand.

"I have been very tolerant of your smartass remarks, Lyra, but if you step out of line again, I'll be more than happy to kill you and take that power that's _rightfully mine_," Deucalion said in a chilling voice.

"Let her go!" Scott shouted. Deucalion sneered a little but let me go, and I fell to the ground in a heap. Scott kneeled by me and I glared up at Deucalion as the bruises on my neck faded away slowly.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I barely noticed time passing as I watched over Cora. Her breathing was still troubled and she kept coughing up more and more black blood.

I shut my eyes and rubbed a hand over them.

_Damn it, Lyra, where are you?_

_I need you._

Opening my eyes again, I gently took Cora's forearm with my hand. Focusing my energy, I pulled some of her pain into my body, grunting as the blackish veins crawled up her arm and into mine. I held it for a long moment, riding out the waves of pain.

"Careful," Peter warned. I grunted and pulled my hand away as Cora's breathing eased.

"Don't worry," I panted. "I know going too far could kill me."

"That's not exactly what I meant," Peter said coolly. I glanced over at him.

"Well what exactly _did _you mean?" I demanded, standing. I flexed my hand a little.

"I've heard it something only an Alpha can do and with good reason," Peter said, walking over to the table, resting his palms against it.

"Which is?"

"You know normal wolves never abandon an injured member of the pack," he explained. "They care for it, they bring it food from a kill, they regurgitate it into the mouth of the injured wolf, they even give it physical and emotional comfort by intensely grooming it." He looked up at me with a serious expression.

"In a way, they can do more than just ease pain, they could be instrumental in healing their own," he concluded.

"If you're trying to tell me I could save her, just tell me," I snapped, crossing my arms impatiently.

"I'm telling you, I've heard it's possible," my uncle said calmly.

"How?" I asked.

"It's that spark of power that makes you an Alpha, when you take her pain, she draws on the power the provides you those special gifts, the power that heightens your senses, your strength, the power that transforms your body, as an Alpha, you have that bit of extra, that spark that intensifies the color of your eyes from a bright yellow into a searing red."

"If I could save her-," I began but Peter cut me off.

"_If_… if. I didn't say it works every time," he amended, wagging his finger at me before turning to look out the window again. "It could just as easily kill you."

I glanced back at my younger sister. I had just got her back, there was no way I was going to lose her again.

"How do I do it? By taking her pain?"

"And then some…because there's a cost," Peter replied, facing me once more. I arched my brow at him and motioned for him to continue. He sighed deeply.

"You will lose that spark, Derek. If you take her pain like this, she will take away that power that makes you an Alpha," he said.

Without replying, I turned to look at Cora again. Peter moved to stand at the end of the bed to gaze down at her with his finger pressed to his mouth. I walked to his side and he stopped me.

"I can understand not seeing a down side to this since you haven't exactly been Alpha of the Year, but think about what else you'll be losing," he said quietly.

"I don't care about power. Not anymore," I replied.

"What about the power to fight back? Correct me if I'm wrong, but Kali's ultimatum still stands, the full moon is tomorrow night and if you couldn't beat her as an Alpha, how do you think you're going to fair as a Beta?"

"I don't _care,_" I said, pinning him down with a glare.

"What if this was _exactly_ what Jennifer was hoping for? She would know this is the only way to save Cora would be you giving up your power, maybe that's what she was going to have you do at the hospital."

"Why?"

"So that you wouldn't be able to face the Alphas without her. She wants you to come to her, it's all part of her little innocent act and she is still playing you. She needs you on her side," Peter said flatly.

The sound of approaching footsteps interrupted me from responding to that.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I quickly discovered we were following Deucalion through the woods since the twins and Kali were tracking down the other emissary in town, Ms. Morrell. I couldn't help but feel some mix of sympathy and pity for Deaton's sister, but I figured she could hold her own.

Scott was mostly quiet as we kept following Deucalion through the forests. He stayed close to me however and I found his presence oddly comforting. I was worried about Derek and Isaac and the rest of them, but Scott kept me focused and calm.

Every now and then, I would look his way and think about the day he would choose to become an Alpha. I was certain he was going to be one of the greatest Alphas, alongside with others like Talia Hale. I had a feeling that day was going to come sooner rather than later.

It also made me wonder what will happen when he did choose to become an Alpha. Would he stay here and coexist with Derek and I? Or would one of us move on elsewhere?

I was hoping for the first option. Though it was rare for packs to coexist in small towns together in a peaceful manner, I knew Scott wouldn't mind and Derek… well, I knew I might have to convince him about the benefits of having two packs in Beacon Hills.

Especially if the Nemeton was going to put a big target sign on this town again. God only knows what will start showing up again if that freaking tree got its power back thanks to Jennifer.

My thoughts were interrupted when my phone quietly buzzed in my pocket. Glancing at Deucalion, who was focusing his gaze towards the fading sunset, I pulled it out of my pocket. I had two text messages.

_Derek is OK. Took Cora home,_ was from Stiles. It had been sent earlier. I figured the lack of reception way out in the middle of the forest was to blame for me not receiving it sooner.

_Lyra, where are you?_ was from Isaac. I winced when I noticed I had a plethora of missed calls and voicemails from him.

_Keep up to date_, I typed back to Stiles quickly.

_Am okay, with Scott and A. pack,_ I wrote to Isaac. _Help the others._

Isaac's reply was nearly instantaneous. _Be careful._

After a few minutes, Stiles replied. _Going to Deaton for help._

I resisted the urge to sigh with relief. I hoped the other Druid would have some advice for the others that could be useful for figuring out how to defeat Jennifer. I was hardly worried about the Alphas at this point, yes, I wanted them gone- preferably dead- but right now Jennifer was our top issue to take care of.

I looked up towards the darkening sky. I could see the pale moon and the stars beginning to appear while the forest began to awaken with nocturnal animals waking up. I heard the distant sound of bat wings and the chattering of a raccoon.

Sensing someone next to me, I looked over and saw Deucalion and Scott on either side of me. Deucalion was looking at me with arched brows while Scott was watching him carefully. Easily, I shifted so I was blocking Scott from Deucalion.

"Don't you know it's rude to stare?" I asked in a snippy tone. Deucalion's lips curled upwards.

"Wondering about Derek, Miss Peterson?" the older Alphas asked silkily. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Wondering when you were going to start minding your own business actually," I said in a sarcastically sweet voice.

A howl pierced through the air, echoing throughout the trees. I turned my head in the direction it came from. By the tone, it sounded like one of the twins.

"Business calls," Deucalion said, turning to walk in the direction of the howl. Scott glanced at me and I clenched my jaw before following him.

Every minute that passed made me more and more anxious. I wanted to get back to Derek. I _had _to get back to Derek.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

After Peter had his awkward moment with Lydia at the door, he let the girl inside the loft. I made sure not to stare at the horizontal mark on her throat where Jennifer had tried to strangle her.

She began to explain to us what she and Stiles had managed to piece together while at school. She told us about the drawings she had made inside her notebook and how Stiles thought it was part of her gift- whatever that was.

She continued by asking us about the root cellar, otherwise known as the Nemeton.

"We don't know where it is," I informed her once she had stopped talking. Lydia looked at me with a confused expression.

"You don't know where it is, but Stiles said you'd been there," she protested.

"We _have_ but after a few memorable experiences there, Talia- Derek's mother, my older sister- decided didn't ever want us going back, she knew how dangerous it was and took the memory of its location from us," Peter said evenly, looking at her. Lydia's lips pressed together.

"But then how are we supposed to find it?" she asked. Peter shrugged and she looked at me.

My phone beeped next to me, signaling I had a text. I tried to control my relief when I saw it was from Lyra.

_Scott and I are fine. Stiles and Isaac went to Deaton for advice. Cora?_

"Who is that?" Lydia asked.

"Lyra," I said, typing a reply.

_Bad. Know something that might help. Sending Lydia to the others._

Lyra replied quickly. _Don't do anything reckless._

I shoved my phone into my pocket. I looked back up at Lydia.

"Go to the clinic. Stiles and Isaac should be there looking for Deaton. Maybe he can help," I said. Lydia nodded and glanced at Peter one last time before quickly leaving.

"Awkward," Peter muttered. I gave him a dry look.

"You think?"

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I trailed behind Scott and Deucalion, keeping my eye on both of them while typing a few quick texts to Derek. I figured Deucalion already knew what I was up to, but right now his attention seemed to be focused on tracking down Morrell.

When we reached a small clearing, I watched as a few fireflies appeared out of the trees, flying close to us before flying away. One lingered, buzzing close to a tree. I noticed Deucalion was staring right at it.

"It's a firefly," Scott said, looking at the small glowing bug before glancing at Deucalion. I leaned against a tree, keeping a few feet between myself and Deucalion.

"Unusual for this region," the older Alpha commented.

"It's because of Jennifer, isn't it? Just before all of this started, a deer crashed into Lydia's car, the cats went crazy at the animal clinic, birds flew into the high school, it was all her."

"They say animals can sense a natural disaster when they're about to happen, maybe they can sense supernatural ones as well," Deucalion said to Scott, his reddish eyes turning towards him.

"Does she scare you?" Scott asked point blank. I arched a curious brow. Could something really _scare _the man who called himself the "demon wolf"?

"She concerns me if she's willing to kill that many innocent people for her cause, people like your mother or Stiles's father."

"Are you willing to kill innocent people?" Scott demanded in his reasonably calm voice. I made a face. I had to hand it to the kid, he had a much cooler head on his shoulder than I did.

"I'll kill any living thing that gets in my way," Deucalion stated firmly.

"No shit," I murmured under my breath. I watched as Deucalion's head turned a little before he continued forward.

"Are you coming, Lyra, or are you going to keep muttering to yourself?" he asked from over his shoulder. Scott looked at me briefly and I followed him quietly.

While we closed in on Morrell, I began slowly planning out how I was going to get Scott and I away from Deucalion. I had a bad feeling about whatever it was Derek was planning to help Cora heal and I knew Scott was worried about his mom and Stiles's dad.

Morrell was in a circle of mountain ash when we finally came across her. Kali and the twins were surrounding the circle, snarling amongst themselves.

"How did you know, Marin, that we'd come for you?" Deucalion asked the emissary.

"Because Jennifer and I are the same, and I know you've always been suspicious of us, of what we can do," Morrell replied.

"With good reason, we know you sent that girl, the one who helped Isaac," Kali said, pacing slightly in front of the other woman.

"What was her name?" Deucalion asked.

_Isaac, get down!_ echoed through my head.

"Braden. And I sent her to do what I've always done, maintain balance," Morrell said firmly.

"What do you know about Jennifer?" Kali growled, circling the Druid. Morrell maintained eye contact with the female Alpha.

"Nothing more than you know," she said shortly before looking at Scott. "This isn't you, Scott, go back to your friends."

When she looked at me, I shook my head slightly. Her eyes narrowed a little and she frowned for a brief second but within the next moment her expression was smooth once more.

"He can decide what's right for himself," Deucalion said.

"Not without all the information! Have you told him everything you've done? How you've piled up bodies in a narcissistically psychotic effort to form your perfect pack? Bodies that include Ennis, by the way," Morrell snapped, glaring at Kali.

"My brother saved him, he was alive when Deucalion went in to see him. He wants you to go after Derek, Kali, to force his decision. If Derek joins the pack, it paves the way for Scott."

"The lies people will tell when they're begging for their life," Deucalion said dismissively.

"Ask him," the Druid challenged.

I barely had time to blink before Deucalion removed the rubber tip of his cane, revealing the razor sharp, arrow like tip. He threw it and it embedded itself into Morrell's chest, causing the woman to stumble back, gasping in pain. Her foot broke the mountain ash circle as she collapsed to the forest floor.

Kali and the twins snarled and I darted forward, blocking their path. Scott dashed around me to crouch next to Morrell.

"Hey! Back off!" Scott said in a loud voice, looking at the other Alphas. I growled lowly at them as they shimmered down and stepped back. I glanced down at Scott and Morrell to see Scott remove the cane from her chest, which made her gasp again.

"We're not going to let them kill you," Scott told her. "But if you know something, if you know where they are…"

"The Nemeton, you find that, you find Jennifer. Find the Nemeton," Morrell whispered in a pain filled voice. Her brown eyes focused on me and I held her gaze evenly. She didn't say anything to me.

"Scott," I said softly, resting a hand on his shoulder. He looked at me with a worried expression.

I turned and saw the other Alphas had disappeared. I knew they probably hadn't gone far since Deucalion would want to keep a close eye on Scott.

Then my phone buzzed again, twice. I looked and saw it was Isaac.

"Isaac?" I answered quickly.

"Lyra! Where are you and Scott?"

"In the woods, by the reserve, I think," I said. I nudged Scott with my foot and he nodded, helping Morrell up. He let her go and turned to look at me once more.

"Stiles and Deaton are coming to get you. Deaton has a plan but we need Scott," Isaac explained.

"I'll find them," I replied before hanging up.

Scott and I nodded at each other before we turned back to Morrell- only to find she had disappeared as well. I looked around but there was no trace of her, only her lingering scent. I frowned but shrugged.

Urging Scott to follow me, I let instinct guide me towards where I figured Stiles and Deaton would be.

It didn't take long to find them since Stiles's scent was now familiar to me. Deaton gave me a nod and Stiles gave me a worried look.

"Derek?" I asked in a sharp tone.

"I- I don't know. Isaac said he hasn't moved from Cora's side, Lydia thinks he and Peter are up to something…"

Whirling to face Scott, I pinned him with a hard look. The smaller wolf shifted uneasily under my glare.

"Don't do anything stupid, got it?" I asked. I turned my attention to Deaton. "Take care of them." The emissary only nodded again.

"Wait, where are you going?" Stiles asked. I turned and rolled my shoulders.

"I'm going to figure out what the Hales are scheming about," I replied. With one last glance at Scott, I took off into the forest.

"How did you guys find out?" I heard Stiles ask Scott before I was out of earshot.

After a mile, my path was blocked by Kali and Deucalion. I slowed and snarled in warning at them. Kali snapped her teeth while Deucalion traced his cane along the ground absently.

"Going somewhere?" Kali growled.

"Back off," I snapped.

"Running back to your precious Derek, are we?" Deucalion asked, sounding bored.

"So what if I am?" I asked, glaring at the two Alphas. Kali just hummed.

"Well, if you are, don't forget to remind him that I'm looking forward to meeting him on the full moon," the other female Alpha said.

"Yeah, I'll just pass that right along," I said sarcastically. "Now, are you going to get out of my way or am I going to have to make you?"

"I'd like to see you try," Deucalion chuckled, but he signaled for Kali to follow him as he walked away into the trees. Kali simply snarled at me but I ignored her as I took off again, sprinting through the woods as fast as I could.

A half an hour later, I reached the lower parts of town where Derek's loft was. I entered the older building and bounded up the stairs. My heart was racing when I reached the loft door.

Throwing it open, I stepped into the loft. Derek turned and our eyes met for a long, tense moment. I could barely take standing still, when I wanted to go to him, but I wasn't sure how he was at the moment. I barely acknowledged Peter's presence.

"Lyra," Derek murmured finally. I huffed with relief and strode over to him. He met me halfway across the room and caught me in a tight embrace. I heard him release a long breath before he buried his face into my neck. I felt the tension in my shoulders slid away for a moment.

"Derek," I sighed quietly. I pulled back and looked up into his eyes. I studied their green depths and saw the exhaustion, the worry and the concern in them. Peter cleared his throat.

"Ah, yeah, I'm still here, in case anyone's interested. Oh and Cora is still dying," he said. I rolled my eyes a little and looked over at him.

"Hi, Peter," I said before looking back at Derek. "What are you up to? I heard from the grape vine something was up."

Derek's frame tensed slightly and he eyed me. I glared and eventually, he gave up and explained to me what his plan was.

"Are you joking!" I yelled when he was finished. "Kali will tear you apart!"

"Lyra, it's _Cora_," Derek said quietly, looking at me, his eyes begging for me to understand.

And I did, I really did. I knew if I was in his shoes, and if Cora was Abigail, I would do whatever it took to save her.

Rubbing a hand over my eyes, I exhaled loudly. I looked at him, my shoulders giving at the look in his eyes.

"Are you sure?" I asked softly. Derek just nodded and I walked over to his side, sitting beside him on the bed.

Looking down at Cora, I saw how bad the smaller Beta was. She looked worse than she had before and her breathing was more troubled and haggard.

"It's got to be now, I don't have a choice," Derek said urgently.

"You always have a choice. It's whether or not you can live with the consequences facing Kali as a Beta," Peter reminded him. I glanced at him briefly.

"And it's not just a full moon coming. It's a lunar eclipse, we'll all be powerless," I said, taking Derek's hand, squeezing it. He squeezed back gently.

When he let my hand go, he brushed Cora's hair back from her forehead. With one hand, he took her hand while the other one rested on her forearm.

"Wait," I whispered. Derek glanced at me while I shifted to grasp Derek's forearm with my own hand.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"This isn't going to be easy, Derek," I said flatly. "And it's going to hurt. I'll take some of your pain away."

"Are you sure that's wise, Lyra?" Peter asked. I looked at him from over my shoulder.

"He's taking her pain completely, which is going to drain all of his energy. Unless you want him completely unconscious by the time this is over, I have to help by doing what little I can."

Derek's gaze met my own before we focused. Derek winced as he started pulling Cora's pain from her body. I watched as blackish veins crept up both of his arm and I closed my eyes when they crept up mine.

Cora gasped, her eyes snapping open, as Derek grunted in pain. I hissed as I felt the pain transfer from his body to my own.

Then Derek roared, his head tilting back. I watched as his red eyes faded to an icy blue color slowly. Cora's body bucked as her pain faded away and I growled as the pain receded from me as well.

When it was all over, Derek collapsed against me.

"Damn it," I said softly. Sighing, I pressed my forehead to Derek's. Clenching his forearm tighter, I took some of the pain that was still racking his body away from him.

Cora then sat up, looking startled.

"_Derek?_"

Ooo0ooO


	14. The Simple Request

**Author's Note: Sorry it took a while for this update! I rewrote this chapter about a million times since I couldn't figure out how I wanted the finale to play out. But I hope you guys enjoy what I have in store for you…**

**After this, my story is going to continue the way I want it to so I don't have to wait until January to keep going. **

**Please let me know what you thought of this chapter!**

Chapter Thirteen: The Simple Request

(Lyra's POV)

Derek was out for hours. I kept slowly taking his pain away until I felt his body begin to heal itself, even though he was still very weak.

Cora rested as she healed herself with the strength Derek had given her. Peter tended to her since I barely let him near Derek without growling.

Eventually Cora managed to convince me to let her near her brother. I grumbled, ignoring Cora's knowing smile as she opened up a bottle of water. I watched as she lifted it to Derek's lips and he drank it slowly.

I breathed a soft sigh of relief when his eyes opened. They landed on me first and I smiled. He blinked and looked at his sister, his eyes filling with relief.

"You're okay," he said softly. Cora smiled down at him.

"Not much better than you are right now," Cora said. "All because of you and Lyra."

"Hopefully not all for nothing," Peter muttered, leaning against the table. "The moon is rising, Derek, and despite Lyra's help, you drained your battery all the way to the red and there's a fully charged Alpha on her way to rip you limb from limb."

Cora ignored her uncle as she smoothed Derek's hair back from his forehead. I looked up at Peter, who was frowning at me with an accusing look in his eyes. I narrowed my eyes at him as well.

I knew what he was thinking- or at least I thought I did. He had wanted me to help Derek more, so Derek wouldn't have lost that spark inside him. I felt guilt tear at my heart, because I knew he was right. I didn't do enough.

"I'll be fine in a few hours," Derek said, leaning against the wall beneath the window again. I exhaled and crouched next to him again, resting my hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me and I gave him a small smile. He didn't return it, instead he just stared into my eyes, like he could sense something was wrong.

"I sincerely hope so because a few hours is all that you have," Peter said grimly.

Closing my eyes for a moment, I stood up and walked out of the room and into the kitchen. I heard the sound of quiet footsteps behind me and resisted the urge to sigh.

"What is it, Cora?" I asked, opening the fridge to pull out another bottle of water.

"What's up with you?" the teenager asked. I looked at her from over my shoulder evenly.

"Nothing," I said, turning to face her. "Nothing I can't fix."

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

Peter helped me onto the bed when Cora followed Lyra into the kitchen. I heard them quietly talking and found myself tensing at what Lyra said.

What was she going to do?

Grimly, I waited until her and Cora walked back into the main room. Lyra avoided my gaze as she walked towards the staircase. Cora watched her with an anxious expression before glancing at me and Peter.

"Going somewhere?" Peter drawled as Lyra ascended the stairs. Her eyes flashed over to him.

"Maybe," she said shortly. I frowned at her as she turned her back at us and continued up towards the bedrooms.

"This can't be good," Peter said under his breath.

I closed my eyes briefly and leaned my head back. I felt a cool cloth press itself to my forehead and opened my eyes again to look at Cora. She gave me a small, reassuring smile.

A loud bang had me jerking upright. We all turned to see Lyra walking towards the bed with a silent, determined look in her eyes. She walked over to the side of the bed and Cora slipped away to give us space.

Lyra sat down and stared at me for a long moment. I looked into her eyes, trying to figure out what exactly was going on behind those violet depths. She didn't say anything to me at first, she just took my hand and squeezed it tightly. I felt a piece of paper brush my palm and I closed my hand over it carefully.

"Be safe," she whispered. Her voice was anything but gentle. It was harsh in its quietness, heavy and demanding like an Alpha's command.

Then she grabbed my shirtfront and hauled me up so I was sitting up straight. Her eyes were now blazing with a fierce onslaught of emotions, causing her eyes to go from a dull purple to a brilliant red violet color.

She kissed me like it was a matter of life and death. Maybe it was, I don't know. I didn't think, I didn't even breathe. All I did was hold onto her and kiss her back with equal fervor until everything else burned away, until there was nothing but us.

It took me a moment to realize she was gone when it ended. My eyes opened to see Peter and Cora staring at me, Peter with a look of mild disgust while Cora's nose wrinkled. I blinked.

"Well now that _that's _over…" Peter sighed, walking towards the window again. I barely acknowledged him while I looked down at the small, folded up piece of paper in my hand. I opened it and read the two words written on the page.

_Trust me._

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

My mind was whirling with thoughts as I went upstairs to change. I slid out of the t-shirt I had stolen- err, _borrowed_- from Derek as well as my yoga pants. I slipped into a tight pair of jeans and an old cut up blank tank top sporting a gold skull on the front. I sat down on Derek's bed as I yanked on my black boots.

On the dresser, I heard my phone buzz. I didn't recognize the number as I read the message.

_We need to talk. Meet me at the peak in twenty._

I frowned suspiciously before replying.

_How do I know this isn't a trap?_

A reply came within seconds.

_Because I want to help you stop my brother and Kali from killing Derek._

Well that narrowed down the list of suspects considerably.

Opening the dresser drawer, I plucked out a torn piece of paper and a pen before writing a quick note. I nearly crumpled it in my hands as I felt the tension mount in my body. Making my way towards the staircase, I vaulted over the edge and landed on the hard ground below with a loud crash.

The next thirty seconds was a blur for me. I had one thought on my mind now, and that was to protect Derek, no matter what the cost. So I gave him the note. And I kissed him- simply because words had failed me.

Then I left, exiting the loft without making a sound. Peter and Cora didn't question me as I went through the window instead of the front door. I just gave them a brief nod before leaping over to the roof of the next building.

Less than twenty minutes later, I was walking through the woods, heading towards the peak. Ethan was already waiting for me there, his arms crossed over his chest as his dark eyes scanned the distant lights of Beacon Hills. The sky was a dark, dismal gray as the threat of another storm lingered over our heads.

"You came," he said without turning around. I had a feeling he wouldn't appreciate any sexual retorts that were on the tip of my tongue, so I chose to walk over to him until I was standing beside him.

"What's up, Anakin?" I asked casually, looking over at the younger werewolf. Ethan's lips twitched before he looked at me.

"We have to warn Derek about Kali," he began.

"I don't think that'll be necessary, I think he's quite aware of her ultimatum," I interjected, making a face. Ethan's eyes softened briefly with sympathy.

"Then we have to find someone to help us," he suggested. I shifted my weight back so I was leaning on one leg. I tilted my head at him.

"You have someone in mind?" I asked. Ethan looked away from me, his gaze latching onto the high school.

"Lydia," he said quietly. I arched my brows at the Alpha, but before I could reply, the sound of a snapping twig had us whirling around.

Jennifer smirked at us, lifting her hands in a gesture of peace.

"I came here to help," she told us.

"Like hell!" I snarled. I lunged towards her, ready to rip out her throat, when Ethan grabbed my arm tightly.

"Lyra, wait," he said quickly.

"_Excuse me?_" I nearly shouted, turning to glare at him. Ethan shrank a little under my look but he focused his attention on Jennifer.

"My, my, the plot _thickens_," Jennifer laughed. "Lyra Peterson working with the Alphas who helped kill her family. How far off the rails you've gone."

"What are you doing here?" Ethan growled.

"I've come to make a little deal with the pair of you. See, I still need Derek's help with stopping Deucalion, but I can't do that if he's got his hands full with Kali. _So_, if you help me stop her, I'll kill Deucalion and everyone wins."

"How do we know if we can trust you?" Ethan demanded. Jennifer's eyes narrowed.

"You can't," she replied sharply. I snarled at her and she quieted down.

"I'll help you on one condition," I stated.

"Which is?"

"Derek walks away from this unharmed. If you need his help for your little showdown, fine. But if he gets hurt or _worse_... don't think that your magic will be able to stop me from taking your head off."

"We have an accord then," Jennifer replied. She smirked one last time before quickly disappearing.

"Lyra, are you sure about this?" Ethan asked warily, looking at me. I exhaled and shook my head.

"No, because she's not going to get what she wants, not on my watch," I said firmly. Ethan's brows furrowed and I smiled slowly.

"So _this _is the plan…"

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I kept Lyra's note in my pocket as the final few hours I had slipped away. She didn't return but I knew- I _knew_- somehow she would, like she always did.

So I did what she asked. I trusted her.

Once I managed to find the strength to get out of bed, I found myself watching the rising moon warily. I knew what it meant for everyone- Lyra included- and I couldn't help but wish she was here with me.

But those thoughts had to be shoved aside when the front door opened, revealing Lydia and to my surprise, Ethan. I narrowed my eyes at the younger Alpha, who was carrying faint traces of Lyra's scent on his clothes.

What the hell?

"What are you doing here?" I asked in a low voice. I walked to the middle of the room and crossed my arms as Peter and Cora shadowed me.

I watched Lydia looked over at Ethan uneasily before he shifted to face me.

"We know about the lunar eclipse," he began. "So don't think Kali's going to sit around waiting for it to level the playing field. She's coming. My brother's coming with her."

"Good enough for me," Peter said from behind me. "Derek?"

"You want me to run?" I challenged.

"No, I want you to stay and get slaughtered by an Alpha with a psychotic foot fetish," Peter said sarcastically. "Of course I want you to run! Sprint! Gallop! Leap your way the hell out of this town."

"If you want to fight and die for something, that's fine with me, but do it for something meaningful," Cora said firmly. "Think about what is meaningful to you now, Derek. Are you willing to lose that?"

I didn't have to ask who she was insinuating with that statement.

"How do you know I'm going to lose?" I asked softly.

"We don't, but I'll bet _she _has an idea," Peter said, turning his attention to Lydia. "Don't you, Lydia?"

"I don't know anything," she protested in a trembling voice. Peter's eyes narrowed slightly as he approached her slowly.

"But you feel something, don't you?"

"What do you feel?" I asked. Lydia's green eyes darted over to me before flickering over to Peter.

"I feel like… I'm standing in a graveyard," she said with quiet vindication.

"Great," Cora huffed. "Just…great."

"Look," Ethan said, stepping forward to shield Lydia from us. "We have a plan."

"We do?" Lydia asked, her eyes widening. Ethan shook his head at her then looked at me.

"I can't tell you what it is, except she told me to tell you this- trust me. Well, _her_, not _me_ but you get what I mean."

"Ly-,"

"Yes," Ethan said quickly, his jaw tightening. "Yes. All right? So right now, you need to get the hell out of here." Ethan's gaze shifted from me to Cora.

"Derek…" Cora trailed off hesitantly. I allowed myself a few seconds to mull it over before I nodded at Ethan.

"All right," I said.

It took us less than ten minutes to grab whatever it was we needed before Cora, Peter and I went out to my car. Ethan had instructed us with what to do and had told us what his and Lydia's role was in all of this.

I pulled out my phone one last time as I opened the car door. When the call went straight to voicemail, I cursed to myself quietly.

"Damn it, Lyra, where are you?" I muttered under my breath. Cora got inside the car, breaking my train of thought and I saw Peter approach the passenger window.

"Don't call until you're at least a hundred miles away," he ordered. He looked at Cora then back at me.

"Go!" he shouted.

Gritting my teeth, I slammed the car out of park and took off into the night, wondering why the hell I was running away from everything and leaving Lyra to fight alone.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

_"So _this _is the plan," I said, turning around to look at the view of the town. "Your part is simple- get Lydia and go to Derek, warn him about Kali. I'm willing to bet Peter will convince Derek to get the hell out of dodge, so you and Lydia are going to have to hold off Kali and Aiden- at least until Jennifer and I get there."_

_"I don't know if Lydia-,"_

_"Convince her," I snapped before calming myself. "Look, nothing is going to happen to you or her. The second Jennifer and I get there, I'll let her believe I will help her with Kali-,"_

_"You mean kill her."_

_"If I must."_

_"_You're _going to kill her?" Ethan asked with disbelief. I looked up towards the rising moon and smiled sadly._

_"A great deal of my power has always been suppressed, Ethan," I explained quietly. "After I killed half of Deucalion's pack, I became powerful, more powerful than you and Aiden combined, I imagine. I just haven't allowed myself to go full throttle because… well."_

_Ethan nodded, not asking me to elaborate._

_"Once I've taken care of Kali, I'm going after Jennifer. Or she'll go after me," I amended, pursing my lips. _

_"And Deucalion?" Ethan asked, glancing over at me. My hands lowered, clenching to fists at my side. _

_"I'm still figuring that one out," I growled._

Once I was back in town, I took to the rooftops, heading back towards the loft. I could smell Kali and Aiden's scent leading up to it, along with Ethan and Lydia's.

Glancing down, I noted with relief that Derek's car was gone. I crouched on a nearby rooftop, using my heightened sight to see into the loft. I could make out Ethan and Lydia standing inside, along with the sound of the alarm going off.

A gust of wind alerted me to another's presence, but I didn't acknowledge it. Jennifer stood next to me, her eyes locked on the two teenagers.

"Looks like it's almost time," she said. I stood up as well, crossing my arms. The emissary glanced my direction.

"You do realize what you're going to have to do if you really want to help me stop her, right?" Jennifer asked. "No more half ass shifting, Lyra."

"I know," I snarled.

I knew once I shifted, I was also opening myself up to the possibility of losing control. Power was a very addicting substance, and my thirst for it hadn't been quenched in years. I didn't know what would happen if I couldn't hold onto my humanity.

Jennifer and I listened as Kali snarled at Aiden about loyalty, and Lydia was whispering nervously to Ethan. Jennifer looked at me once more and jerked her chin, motioning for me to follow her.

The sky suddenly exploded with sound as bolts of greenish yellow lighting struck down from the churning, dark gray clouds above. The wind picked up considerably, howling loudly.

Jennifer and I leaped towards the roof of the loft. I began to slowly shift. First, my nails and teeth elongated, and then my face became more angular, more wolf-like as my ears became larger and more pointed. I felt the beast rise to the surface, consuming my body, shifting its shape further to suit its needs.

I felt a rush of electrifying air sweep around Jennifer and I as she used her magic to lift us into the air once more. Then together, we went crashing through the glass roof, landing on the hard ground of the loft below.

Kali and Aiden stiffened at the sight of me and Jennifer while Ethan pulled Lydia away from the line of fire. I snarled gutturally, baring my long fangs at the other female Alpha.

"So, who wants to go first?" Jennifer asked with a smirk.

Kali darted forward and Aiden went straight for me. I struggled for the upper hand over my wolf as Aiden slashed his claws, aiming for my exposed stomach. I whirled to dodge his blow, fighting the growing urge to kill. It felt like I was an alcoholic, swimming in a pool of booze. If I opened my mouth once, I wasn't sure if I'd ever stop.

Jennifer engaged Kali, avoiding Kali's attacks with relative ease. One of Kali's movements sent her in my direction and I lowered my body, swinging low with my foot, knocking her ankles together so she toppled to the ground.

Kali roared and got back to her feet, and I heard the twins roar at Jennifer. I saw out of the corner of my eye as they ran towards each other and began to merge. I didn't have time to watch as Jennifer stopped their morphing, since Kali was at my throat again, snapping her fangs inches from my face.

I gripped her forearms and roared, and for a moment, I saw Kali shrink back, her red eyes full of shock. I threw her back into a wall, which caused it to crack and crumple. I heard the sound of the twins smashing into another wall before I turned to see Jennifer staring down Kali.

"That's right, Kali, look at me," Jennifer demanded. "Look at my face. Do you know what it takes to be able to look like this? To be able to look normal?"

"I don't care," the female Alpha snarled, standing up. I looked over my shoulder and saw the twins crawling towards each other. My head rolled to the side a little when I smelled their blood and I felt the primal urge to go towards them, to finish the kill. I clenched my fists and reached down, rolling up my pant leg and drawing out a small needle from the inside of my boot.

As I battled to keep hold of my anchor, I looked at the vial of cinnamon colored liquid, remembering briefly how I came to get it.

_A few weeks earlier, I had gone back to Deaton at the clinic, this time alone. The vet didn't seem surprised to see me, in fact, he looked like he had been expecting me._

_We had just discovered what Jennifer really was, and what she could really do. My instinct had taken me back to the other emissary, the one who never strayed from the path of light._

_"I've been waiting for you to come back, Lyra," Deaton said. I arched a brow at him._

_"What, are you psychic too?" I asked with a good natured smile, which Deaton returned._

_"No, I just knew you'd be returning to me to ask what's been on your mind," he replied. he turned around and opened a drawer, extracting a vial containing some sort of liquid._

_"I already gave some to Scott to have on hand," Deaton explained, facing me again. "He'll be needing it soon, I imagine. But you, I imagine you're going to need this for future battles." He handed me the vial and I turned it in my hand._

_"Mistletoe," Deaton said when I glanced up at him. "She can use it herself, but it also can be used against her."_

"It takes power. Power like this," Jennifer was saying to Kali as I jerked back to the present. I gripped the needle tightly in my hand, thumb poised on the plunger.

Jennifer's hand lifted, which caused the fallen glass shards to rise into the air and point towards Kali. I stepped forward until I was directly behind Jennifer, who remained unaware, since her attention was solely on Kali.

"I…I should have… _I should have ripped your head off!_" Kali screamed.

The moment I saw Jennifer's hand move, I whipped the plunger forward, slamming it into the side of her neck. Jennifer's cry died in her throat as she gurgled. I injected the mistletoe directly into her bloodstream and she collapsed.

Kali stared at me for a moment as Jennifer fell to the ground at my feet. In a flash, I had her pinned against the wall again. I could feel the whirlwind inside my body, the overpowering urge to kill, _kill_, _KILL_…

I bared my teeth and snarled directly into Kali's face. The other Alpha struggled against my hold, but she didn't stand a chance. I snapped her forearms with ease and she cried out. I bared my teeth in a chilling smile.

"This is for Matt," I growled. With one quick move, I twisted her arm, ripping her shoulder from the socket, which caused her body to flip around so her front was pressed into the wall. Kali screamed again and thrashed, snarling viciously.

I slammed her head into the cement wall multiple times, and I felt the darkness inside myself swallow me whole. I relished in the sound of Kali's bones breaking before yanking her head back, baring her throat.

Opening my mouth slowly, I snarled and sank my fangs into her throat, ripping it to shreds. Kali cried out but it ended in a bloody gurgle as blood poured down her throat and her chest. I stepped to the side and grabbed either side of her head.

And with one jerk of my hands, I ended Kali's life, thoroughly snapping her neck nearly into two. And I felt it, _I felt it._

The insane rush of power entering my body, and I stood on shaking legs, absorbing it like a flower absorbs sunlight. It filled me up, burning through my veins, through every fiber of my being. I threw my head back and roared as my eyes changed from a bright red, to a deep, blood red.

When I turned around, I saw Jennifer walking towards the twins, who had morphed as I killed Kali. In a blink of an eye, Jennifer had dodged a blow from their claws and had reached up, snapping the massive wolf's neck with a sickening crunch.

"What's the line the coach likes to say? The bigger they are…" Jennifer said mockingly, looking up at me. She sneered at me.

"Looks like you got exactly what you wanted, Lyra."

"No, not yet," I said before lunging for her. Jennifer disappeared in a flash of black fog and I heard the keening of her Darach form.

Unbalanced, my eyes went to Lydia, who was cowering against the pillar by the stairs. I stared into her green eyes and tilted my head to the side. I could hear her heart beating furiously against her ribs and I could smell her fear leaking from her pores. I continued to stare into her eyes, transfixed.

_Even from a distance, I could see his eyes, which were large and green._

_Green…with a touch of gray._

I stumbled back a step, blinking as reality came screaming back to me. I gasped and shuddered, holding onto my anchor desperately as I felt myself get back into control.

_Derek, remember Derek._

Hissing under my breath, I shook my head as I shifted back. My eyes cooled off, my nails became short again, my face softened. I sighed as I felt the beast return to the dark recesses of my mind.

"L-Lyra?" Lydia stammered. I looked at her again and she relaxed a fraction.

"Sorry," I whispered. I looked down at the twins crumpled form. "So sorry."

"I need you to do something for me," I told Lydia once I ripped my gaze away from the still form.

"What do you want from me?" Lydia asked fearfully. I looked at her sadly, apologetically. I need one last thing, but it was currently driving away from Beacon Hills. I needed him back and cursed myself for what I was about to do.

"I need you to scream," I said softly. Lydia's eyes widened and I roared, taking an intimidating step towards her. Lydia flinched and unleashed a loud, high pitched scream with reverberated throughout the room and out into the night.

I turned my back to Lydia as she leaned heavily against the wall, still watching me with terror in her eyes. I moved to the twin's morphed form and felt guilt pierce through my heart.

_"So you'll just…let us go?" Ethan asked. I looked at him patiently._

_"Yes, of course," I said honestly. "I'll make sure nothing happens to you."_

I made a soft sound of distress, covering my mouth with my hand. I flinched when I felt that my chin was warm and sticky. I looked down at my hand and saw it was covered with blood, Kali's blood.

"No," I moaned, staring at the red streak. "No, no, no."

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

"She'll be fine, Derek," Cora said to me as I sped farther and farther away from Beacon Hills.

"You don't know that," I snapped. "I shouldn't have left her alone."

"She can handle herself!"

"No!" I snapped, slamming my hand against the steering wheel. "I know she's going to do something, and it's to protect _me_. God only knows what she'll do."

"Why do you automatically assume the worse?" Cora demanded.

"Because she could do anything to protect those she cares about," I said in a low voice. I glanced at Cora. "And I would do the same thing."

Suddenly, a loud, resounding scream echoed through the night. I yanked the steering wheel to the side, pulling to the side of the road. I listened to the scream's echoes and felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.

"What the hell was that?" Cora asked, looking at me with wide eyes.

"Lydia," I said. Dread creeped through my veins. If Lydia was screaming like _that_, something was wrong, very wrong.

"We have to go back," I said quickly, whipping the steering wheel to the left as I executed a fast U-turn.

In the pit of my stomach, instinct told me something had happened with Lyra. I only hoped I could get back to her before anything else happened.

Clenching the steering wheel tightly, I gritted my teeth.

_Damn it, Lyra,_ I thought furiously. _I should have stayed with you._

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

Jennifer reappeared when I came back from the kitchen. I had managed to remove the blood from my skin, but my clothes were a lost cause. Kali's blood as well as my own stained the tank top and jeans I wore, and I could only be slightly grateful that I had decided to wear dark colors today.

Jennifer was staring down at Kali's body as I stepped into the main room. When she looked up at me, I saw the hate burning in her eyes. Before I could take my next breath, she was in my face.

"Did you really think I believed you _for a second_ when we made that deal?" she hissed. "I knew you weren't to be trusted and well…" She gestured to the twin's body. "Look at what happened. Pity, I didn't _want _to kill them but since you decided to poison me, I figured, an eye for an eye…"

"Ethan and Aiden had nothing to do with this!" I shouted. "They were innocent!"

"Oh, no, Lyra," Jennifer said, shaking her head. "You see, from the looks of it, they were _protecting _you when I woke up from that nasty shot. They _got in the way_. Who's fault is it, really?"

I knew what she was doing. She was playing towards the unlimited amount of guilt that weighed down on my chest every day, which grew every passing hour. She knew my weaknesses, and she knew how to even play against my strengths.

I looked away from Jennifer, back towards the window. The moon was at its peak and the eclipse was closing in on us. Every second that ticked by, I could feel my power weaken. And for once, I was grateful to become powerless.

Outside, I heard the slamming of a car door, which caused Jennifer and I to freeze. The sounds of footsteps going into the building had my heart nearly stopping.

_No_, I thought with horror.

My fears were confirmed when Derek and Cora burst into the loft, breathing heavily. I turned around to look at them with wide eyes. My heart clenched as Derek took in his surroundings slowly.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

When Cora and I reentered the loft, the smell of blood slammed into me right away. I looked around, taking in the sight of broken glass, and Ethan and Aiden's still body…as well as Kali's. My eyes finally met Lyra's and I stared at her. Cora dashed over to Lydia to comfort the shaking girl.

She appeared to be trembling- from fear? No, that couldn't be right. But something was _different_ about her and when she stepped to the side, blocking my view of Kali's body, I felt my blood chill.

"Yes, that's right, Derek," Jennifer said silkily. "Looks at what your precious girlfriend did."

"You did this for me?" I asked Lyra softly, looking into her eyes again. Lyra's expression crumpled and her gaze lowered.

"I- I…" she stammered. Jennifer snorted and stepped forward.

"Little Lyra here made a bargain with me to help me stop Kali. Which, of course, didn't work out since she took it upon herself to poison me long enough so she could kill Kali. As for the twins, well, they were…collateral damage. But look, Derek, they're died. I did it. For _us_. For anyone who's ever been their victim."

Ripping my gaze away from Lyra, I pinned Jennifer with a heated glare.

"Stop talking to me like a politician!" I shouted. "Stop trying to convince me of your cause!"

"Fine. I'll convince you of someone else's. Scott. You can save his mother, Stile's father…" Jennifer trailed off, arching a brow.

"How?" I demanded. Lyra finally looked up at me, her eyes round with surprise.

"No," she mouthed. I ignored her.

"I need a guardian," Jennifer said, approaching me slowly. "That's a role that can either be filled by the three parents I was forced to take or by you."

"I can't help you, I'm not even an Alpha anymore," I snapped, crossing my arms.

"All I need is for you to help me get Deucalion in the right place at the right time."

"You just killed two of them on your own, what do you need me for?" I asked, my eyes flickering back to Lyra, who was hanging her head.

"You haven't seen him at his strongest. I have. And if he's got Scott with him, I don't stand a chance, unless I have you," Jennifer explained.

"Derek, don't trust her!" Cora cried out. I looked at my sister and motioned for her to be quiet.

"I have the eclipse in my favor but the moon's only going to be in the Earth's umbra shadow for fifteen minutes that's the extent of my window, there's no decision to struggle with! Help me kill him and the others live! Just help me!" Jennifer yelled.

I looked back at her, clenching my jaw.

"Derek," Lyra whispered, her eyes hollow. "Please don't."

"You asked me to trust you," I said quietly. "Now I'm asking you to do the same thing for me."

"Derek, if you go with her, you might die!" Lyra cried, stepping towards me. "She doesn't care about you, all she wants is power!"

"Well I guess you and her aren't so different then," I snarled. Lyra flinched.

"You don't know the whole story," she whispered. I shook my head at her.

"Yeah, well, right now I have more important things to do then to listen to you justify _this_," I replied, turning my back to her.

I didn't look back as I walked out of the loft with Jennifer right behind me.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

I closed my eyes as the door slammed shut. I called for whatever patience I had left in many tired body, knowing I needed it right now.

Derek was stubbornly refusing to me the other side of the story. He knew I would do anything to protect him, but without listening to me, all he saw was me taking advantage of the situation of protecting him by killing Kali for her power. I wanted to go after him, scream in his face for being so _stupid_ but I didn't. I still had the rest of my own plan to work out before I could deal with Derek.

I turned to look at Cora, who was eyeing me cautiously. My shoulders slumped and I opened my arms a little in a gesture of peace. Lydia was still looking at me like I was a monster. And maybe I was.

Cora finally urged Lydia to her feet, helping her to the door.

"We have to get going, Lydia, we can get help," Cora said quickly, giving me another look.

"From who?" Lydia asked.

"I don't know, but we can't stay here," Cora replied quietly.

"Wait," I said, which caused the girls to stop. They turned to look at me as I glanced down at the twins. As we watched, they pulled apart, becoming two again. I crouched swiftly next to them. Cora and Lydia darted to my side.

"They're alive," I breathed as I pressed two fingers to Ethan's pulse. I looked up at Cora with relief.

"Take them to Deaton," I instructed, standing up. I strode to the window.

"Where are you going?" Cora asked. I looked at her from over my shoulder.

"To help," I said simply.

I didn't dare tap into the new power I had. I didn't know what would happen if I opened that door again…and I didn't want to. I was afraid of what was going to happen, but mostly, I was afraid of myself.

Running through the woods, I ignored the wind and the rain. Branches ripped and tore at my clothes and my hair and the fog made it difficult to see, even for me.

The smell of gasoline caught my attention as I neared the Nemeton. I could make out the faint scent trails of Allison, Scott and Isaac, which filled me with relief. That last they were all right, for the most part. But why did I smell gas?

Hesitating for a moment, I darted in the direction where the scent blew strongest. It was up the road when I came across Stiles's Jeep, which had crashed into a tree, and was leaking gasoline and smoking dangerously.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed, hurrying over to the wreck. Stiles was unconscious in the driver's seat with his head bleeding from a gash. I ripped the door open and grabbed his shoulder, shaking him.

"Stiles! Stiles, damn it, wake up!" I hissed, shaking the teenager harder. His head rolled to the side and I couldn't tell if he was breathing.

"Damn it!" I cursed again. Ripping his seatbelt in two with a claw, I pulled him safely away from the smoking car. Lying him flat on his back, I pressed my ear flat against his chest. I could hear his weak heart beat but he wasn't breathing. Steeling myself, I pinched his nose and pressed my lips to his, breathing air into his lungs. I did it again and again until he finally began coughing. I leaned back on my heels with relief.

"Huh, wha-?" Stiles asked, his eyes bleary and unfocused. When he saw me however, they widened.

"Lyra? What happened?"

"You were in a crash. The weather's getting worse, Stiles. Where are the others?" I asked, helping him up.

"We- we found out where the Nemeton is, we're going to get our parents. Well, Isaac and Allison are, I think Scott went off with Deucalion again-,"

"Stiles," I said, interrupting him. "Go help the others, make sure they're okay. I'm going to find Scott and Derek."

"Wait, Derek? Why Derek?"

"Because Jennifer convinced him of her cause," I muttered, shaking my head. I helped him across the empty street then glanced up at him.

"Do you know how to get there from here?" I asked. Stiles looked around, leaning against a tree for a moment.

"Wait, Lyra, can you get something for me?" he asked. I arched a brow when he told me to get the aluminum bat from his trunk, but I didn't question it.

"Be safe," I said when I handed him the bat.

"Yeah, you too," he replied before jogging into the woods. I watched him go before I realized something. If Jennifer wasn't at the Nemeton, then she and Derek were somewhere else.

_The mill!_ I thought, my eyes widening.

_Of course,_ I mused as I took off into the fog. I always found it funny how endings had to close where it all started.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

Watching Deucalion shift into the Alpha wolf he really was was utterly terrifying. It reminded me of Peter and how powerful he had been before I had taken his power away from him. Deucalion's power was so much more than Peter's had ever been. I could feel it in my bones, which caused my wolf to almost cower in fear.

But I knew I couldn't give into that fear. Calling my own beast to the surface, I met Deucalion's attack halfway, snarling.

When I flashed out my claws, Deucalion's hands whipped around and grabbed both of my forearms. I grunted as I felt the bone begin to slowly break under his strong hold.

Jennifer came to my side, her hands raised and she sent a powerful blast of magic directly into Deucalion's chest, but nothing happened. Deucalion nearly chuckled before he had both of us by our throats, lifting us in the air.

A loud _familiar _roar ripped through the air, causing Deucalion to pause. I struggled against his hold but stopped when I saw Lyra emerge from the fog, her eyes glowing a deep, ruby red. They met mine briefly but slid away, refocusing on the other Alpha.

"How nice of you to join us, Lyra," Deucalion said in a deep baritone. Her eyes cooled to a bright blue-violet, which were sparking with anger. She growled deeply.

Suddenly, Deucalion dropped Jennifer and me to the ground. I lunged at him again but Deucalion simply threw me across the room, and I slammed into a pile of crates painfully. I crumpled to the cement ground, clenching my fists.

I felt a pair of hands touch my shoulder and I looked up at Lyra. She stared into my eyes for a brief moment, as if she was unsure of what to say.

"Trust me," she beseeched so quietly, only I could hear her. Then she looked over at Deucalion, who had hit Jennifer with such a force she had skidded across the ground. Scott locked eyes with me but I coughed, spitting up some blood.

Lyra's hand, which had been resting on my shoulder, moved down to my arm. She gripped it tightly and I watched as she took some of my pain away. I looked up at her again, but her attention was on Deucalion, who was ordering Scott to kill Jennifer.

"Kill her. Do it," Deucalion told Scott. When the Beta didn't obey, Deucalion roared so powerfully, it caused Scott to fall to his knees and even shift. I shuddered at the demand, feeling my wolf's urge to obey the Alpha. Lyra's hand let go of my arm as she urged me to sit back. Her eyes met mine and in that moment, I felt Deucalion's influence as an Alpha melt away. Lyra's deep purple eyes held no command…just a simple request.

"Now kill her," Deucalion snarled. "Your parents are dying, that storm you hear- she's burying them alive. It's her connection to the telluric currents, kill her and it ends."

"It won't end, not with me," Jennifer gasped, struggling against Deucalion's hold on her. "He'll have you kill everyone you love, it's what he does."

"They're dying Scott. Your mother, the parents of your best friends, kill her now and it's over. Become the Alpha you're meant to be. Become a _killer_."

As I watched, Scott looked over his shoulder at Lyra. There was a brief understanding in the way their eyes met, as if they had had this planned all along.

"Scott will always make the right choice," Lyra said, her voice soft, but strong. Deucalion snarled at her and she didn't flinch as she met the demon wolf's red eyes.

"They're not dead yet," Scott said, facing him as well.

"Who's going to save them?" Deucalion scoffed. "Your friends?"

"My pack," Scott amended. I saw Lyra smile out of the corner of my eye.

Deucalion growled and flashed over to Scott, so quickly he blurred. He grabbed the younger werewolf by the scruff of his neck while the other hand gripped his forearm tightly.

"Maybe you just need a little guidance," Deucalion said, leading Scott towards Jennifer.

"I forgot to tell you something," Scot said, looking over at him. "It's something that Gerard told me. Deucalion isn't always blind."

In a blink of an eye, Lyra was suddenly shielding me as Scott threw down some flash arrows, which caused bright sparks of light to shoot up from the ground. Lyra crouched in front of me protectively as she shielded her eyes.

When everything cleared, I looked around, noticing how everything was bathed in a amber light.

"The eclipse," Lyra said, looking at me.

"They're close. It's started," Deucalion said under his breath. I noticed his power was gone, and he stood looking like a normal man once more.

"Scott!" Lyra cried out. Scott looked at her then at the spot where Jennifer had been, which was now empty.

"Oh no," Scott breathed.

It didn't take long for Jennifer to come back, this time as the Darach. Lyra stiffened and growled, and I felt myself tense at the uncertain note in the sound. We were all powerless, almost defenseless against Jennifer now.

Jennifer first attacked Scott, throwing him across the mill into some old metal barrels. Her attention quickly shifted to Lyra, before she grabbed her, throwing her across the room as well. Lyra crashed against the side of the mill, crumbling below the symbol Ennis had carved there so long ago.

"Lyra!" I shouted. She shifted, rolling to her side. Our eyes met and she nodded, signaling she was okay. I looked over at Jennifer, who had Deucalion in her grasp. She slammed the back of his head against the cement ground repeatedly, causing the man to cry out in pain.

"Jennifer!" I yelled. She stopped and turned her head towards me. "He doesn't know!"

"Know _what?_" she asked in that grating, high pitched voice that was no longer hers.

"What you really look like," I said, standing up slowly. "He knows the cost of bringing Kali into his pack, but he's never seen the price you've paid."

"No…no he hasn't," the Darach agreed. She crouched down by Deucalion and covered his eyes with her hand. My gaze went back to Lyra, who was staring at Jennifer with wide eyes. Her expression suddenly flooded with understanding as she looked at me.

"Trust me," I mouthed. Lyra blinked and she nodded slowly.

Deucalion began screaming and thrashing before Jennifer removed her hand from his face. She stood, hovering over the man.

"Turn to me. Turn your head!" she commanded. Deucalion looked at her, and for a brief moment, I saw something in his eyes I thought I'd never see. Fear.

But when Jennifer changed back into her other form and lunged, she nearly collapsed. I darted over to her and caught her.

"What is this?" Jennifer asked, sounding breathless.

"Healing him made you weak, just like healing Cora did to me," I told her. "You won't have your strength for at least a few minutes." Jennifer looked up at me and she smiled, almost encouragingly.

"Then you do it. Kill him," she said.

"No."

"_What?_"

"Like my mother used to say, I'm a predator, but I don't have to be a killer," I replied. Once again, I looked at Lyra, who had stood up to move to my side. She smiled at me, and it was real, one I hadn't seen on her face in a while. But it faded as her hand darted out to grip Jennifer's throat tightly.

"Let them go," she demanded in a low voice.

Jennifer's lips curled before she slammed her hands against Lyra's chest. Lyra screamed in pain and flew back, skidding but managing to remain on her feet. Jennifer looked at me hatefully before she shoved me back as well. I slammed into some crates before Jennifer was in my face again, slapping me.

"Derek…" she trailed off before looking at me with a dangerous glint in her eyes. I found myself in the air as Jennifer lifted me, slamming me against the boiler again and again. The blows were oddly familiar.

_Boyd and Cora tore into my exposed stomach with their claws again and again. I took it, I took it all, barely keeping my grip on them. I could feel my body sliding into unconsciousness, before I heard one last sound- a chilling roar._

_Then the blows ended, leaving behind the feeling of gentle hands running over my body, before cupping my face._

_"Derek? You're going to be okay, damn it. Why did you go in here alone? Do you have a fucking death wish?"_

_Lyra._

"Derek, now!"

The sound of Lyra's voice had me snapping out of my revere. I saw the amber light fading away as my power returned to me in a rush. I felt my wolf remerge and my eyes glowed blue once more.

"Your fifteen minutes are up," I said to Jennifer, before throwing her back from me. Scott charged at her, but she quickly tossed up mountain ash so it landed in a circle around her. Scott skidded to a stop in front of the circle. I glared at her when she looked my way again. A gentle hand rested on my arm and I looked down at Lyra. The wound Jennifer had given her on her chest faded quickly.

"Like I told you Derek, either you or the parents," Jennifer called. "I guess I'll just have to take them now. In a few minutes, they'll be dead and I won't need a lunar eclipse even to kill a demon wolf."

I looked over at Scott, who was looking at the mountain ash with determination. He lifted a hand slowly, resting it against the barrier.

"You've tried this before, Scott," Jennifer said tersely. "I don't remember you having much success."

I stepped forward but Lyra stopped me, shaking her hand. She watched Scott with narrowed eyes, but her grip on my arm tightened for a moment. I looked back at Scott again and watched as he pressed another hand to the barrier, causing a bluish purple light to shine.

An odd, rumbling noise filled the air as Scott pressed himself against the barrier, his eyes beginning to glow gold. And as we watched, they melted away to a bright red before he stepped inside the circle. My eyes widened as Lyra gasped.

Jennifer watched the werewolf with utter disbelief. Scott stepped inside the circle with his other foot, causing the barrier to break, sending Jennifer crashing to the ground. She scrambled back, eyeing Scott with huge eyes.

"How did you do that?" Jennifer demanded.

"I'm an Alpha now," Scott said simply.

"A true Alpha," Lyra breathed.

"Whatever you're doing to cause the storm, make it stop or I'll kill you myself" Scott ordered. "I don't care what it does to the color of my eyes."

Out of nowhere, Deucalion strode forward, his eyes red and claws unsheathed. His lips pulled back to reveal his massive fangs.

"It won't change the color of mine, so allow me," he said gruffly.

And with one sure slash, his claws ripped across Jennifer's throat, causing her to gurgle and collapse. She grew still and so did the storm outside, revealing the late afternoon sky once more.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

When Deucalion killed Jennifer, I turned to look up at Derek. He smiled down at me and lifted a hand, caressing my cheek gently. I smiled slightly, allowing myself to lean into his touch before I turned to look at Scott.

The teenager looked at me with wide eyes before he grinned. I felt relief seep into my bones and I sighed, shaking my head at him.

But there was one last thing to take care of. I looked at Deucalion, who was now watching me with wary eyes. I knew he could sense the new power within me, just like Derek had. I was nowhere as powerful as him, but I was still a threat.

I realized then that I didn't want my revenge anymore. I saw Jennifer's still body and I saw what revenge did to her, how it destroyed her from the inside out.

Me killing Deucalion wouldn't change the past. It wouldn't bring back me parents or my sister. It wouldn't bring back Matt or the rest of my pack. If I killed him, I would become more of a monster than he ever could be.

So I left it up to Scott. There was a basic level of trust between us now, which caused us to understand each other's actions. I learned a great deal from him, I suppose. Even with the darkness inside both of us, I didn't have a doubt that he would make the right choice- like he always did.

Scott called Stiles, making sure the others were okay. I held back a cry of relief when I heard Stiles's voice, along with Isaac's. When Scott hung up, he looked to me but I shook my head.

Derek and Scott exchanged a look before they stood side by side to face Deucalion. The older Alpha almost looked like a chastised child as Scott and Derek watched him, both of them with their arms crossed over their chests. I stood in between them, hands in my back pockets, my posture more relaxed than theirs.

"My mother told me you were a man of vision once," Derek began. His eyes drifted to me and we exchanged a smile. "We're letting you go, because we hope you can be that man again."

"But if you're not, then having your eyesight back won't matter, because you'll never see us coming," Scott warned. Deucalion didn't reply, he just inclined his head as Scott walked away. I nudged Derek with my elbow, encouraging him to go as well.

I stayed behind with Deucalion for a moment, waiting for his gaze to meet mine. When it did, he watched me uncertainly.

"And you, Lyra? Are you going to let me go?" he asked.

I looked over my shoulder towards Derek, who was standing by the trees, patiently waiting for me. I could see Scott standing a few feet behind him, hands in his pocket.

"I realized today that wanting revenge doesn't ever work out the way you want it to," I told him. I looked down at this man, the man who had torn my life apart. The man who I had obsessed over for the past five years of my life. It was then I realized what _letting go _really meant.

"I think I can learn to be a woman of forgiveness, someone who can let go of the past," I said softly. I began walking away but I paused just outside of the mill. I looked at Deucalion one last time.

"You should listen to him, you know. Scott. He might teach you a thing or two as well," I suggested. Deucalion didn't respond again.

Once more, I turned my back to him and walked away. I walked over to Derek, who smiled at me as I approached. I titled my head back once I was in front of him and he leaned down, capturing my lips in a soft kiss.

I sighed and wrapped my arms around him. Kissing him like this was like coming home, it was like a gentle reminder that everything I needed had always been right there in front of me. I held tight, not willing to let it go again anytime soon.

When Scott cleared his throat, we pulled apart. I gave the teenager a sheepish look before Derek's hand brushed along mine. I took it and locked our fingers firmly before we walked into the woods, heading out to find the others.

We found the Nemeton with relative ease. Scott and Stiles embraced as I rushed over to Isaac, nearly knocking him to the ground in a crushing hug. He laughed and hugged me back, dropping his forehead against my shoulder.

"You okay?" I asked when I pulled away. He gave me a cocky grin.

"I'm great," he replied. "You?"

"Well I don't know about any of you, but I'm starving!" Melissa called out, causing all of us to laugh. I smiled reassuringly at Isaac, squeezing his arm before walking back to Derek.

Everyone found their own way home and I helped Stiles when a tow truck came to get his Jeep. The sheriff thanked me and I found myself making little alliances with the parents, even Chris Argent. The quieter man had only nodded at me before he took Allison away, but I had a feeling we were an good terms, you know, for us being sworn enemies and all.

None of the other stuff seemed to matter though. When Derek and I got back to the loft, Cora all but attacked us. We embraced tightly before I left her to have a moment with her brother. I returned upstairs alone to change out of my filthy clothes.

Stepping into the shower, I washed away the blood and dirt that clung to my body. I tilted my head back and washed my hair thoroughly before I shut off the water. I wrapped myself in a towel and walked over to the mirror, wiping away it down.

I eyed myself for a long moment. Any evidence of what I had been through had healed, leaving behind nothing but smooth skin. I looked myself in the eyes and sighed.

There was a quick moment however, when I saw my eyes go from purple to that hellish red color. My skin melted into a dull black color and my body morphed into a beast I didn't even recognize. I saw myself as the monster I really was on the inside, the beast that would always be lurking under the surface.

I nearly screamed as I stumbled back from the mirror, smacking into the far wall. The illusion disappeared and I slid to the floor, covering my eyes with my hands.

_"The horror! The horror!"_ echoed through my head tauntingly.

A knock on the door caused me to cry out in surprise. I stood up and straightened my towel before opening the door. Derek looked at me with concern.

"Are you all right?" he asked. I forced myself to smile.

"Yeah, better now," I lied. Derek eyed me for another moment before his gaze lingered over my body. I could smell his desire heighten and I shoved him, scowling.

"Cora's here!" I scolded him. Derek gave me a playful smile before he reached out to me. His fingers brushed along my sides before pinching my skin. I squealed and swatted his hands. Derek laughed as I shoved past him, dashing into the bedroom.

He caught me easily, swinging me through the doorway. He closed it behind us and had me pinned against it quickly. He ignored my half hearted protests as he kissed my lips, my neck, my shoulders.

The towel slipped away and I groaned as his hands ran over my sensitized skin. Within seconds, I ripped his own clothes off and grinned mischievously at him before shoving him back on the bed.

We rolled over the bed, teasing each other with our hands and lips, driving each other mad. Finally, I pinned him down and slid down his body, watching him as he watched me. He gripped my hips before I took him into my body, wrenching a groan from both of us.

Derek flipped me onto my back, hoisting my leg over his hip. He buried himself deep within my body and I cried out in pleasure. He murmured my name against my neck before we began moving together.

I wasn't sure how long we kept watching each other, our eyes locked as our bodies seemed to blend into one. All I knew was Derek, his eyes, the feeling of his body straining with mine, searching for some peak we kept climbing to until we fell apart in each other's arms.

Afterwards, he held me as he dozed quietly. I stayed awake, staring up at his face. I traced over every detail; the curve of his lips, the shadow cased by his eyelashes on his cheek, the serious lines between his brows which were smoothed away as he relaxed…

I smoothed a hand over his chest before resting it right above his heart. I tried not to think about the incident in the bathroom, just like I tried not to think about how we would eventually have to discuss what exactly had happened here in the loft…

I closed my eyes and pushed aside those thoughts for another day.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

The next day, I went with Scott and Lyra back to the distillery mill. We both exchanged worried looks when we realized that Jennifer's body had vanished.

"She was dead!" Scott protested. Lyra frowned and rubbed a hand over her forehead.

"Who knows what happened to her body," she sighed. She turned and nudged Scott so we could walk out of the mill and back into the sunlight.

"Go to work," she told Scott. "Maybe Deaton will know something."

Scott grumbled but eventually went back to his dirt bike. Lyra and I watched him ride off before she turned back to me. She offered me her hand, which I took as we walked back through the woods, heading towards the peak.

When we got there, she began to tell me everything that had happened yesterday on her end. She explained to me why she had left, leaving me with a simple note. She told me about her plan with Ethan, and her double crossing Jennifer. I listened patiently, watching her as she talked.

"It was never about power," she finished. "It was only about protecting you and everyone else."

"You can't protect everyone, Lyra," I said gently. She smiled sadly, looking towards the high school, where the distant sounds of cross country practice was happening.

"I have to try," she said softly. Her gaze met mine as the sun reflected in her eyes, turning them a brilliant purple color. "I didn't have anything when I came here. Now I have you…Cora…Isaac… I have a family again."

A tidal wave of emotion crashed over my head at her words. Unable to reply, I simply wrapped my arms around her and pulled her tightly against me. She rested her head against my chest and I placed my cheek against her hair.

"I think we should move out of the loft," I said after a few minutes of silence. Lyra pulled away to look up at me. I brushed her hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear absently.

"There are too many memories when it comes to that place. I think we need a fresh start and somewhere new to stay."

"You want to leave Beacon Hills?" Lyra asked, her brows furrowing together. I shrugged.

"I don't know," I admitted. Lyra considered that for a few moments.

"Why don't we go stay at the cottage for a while?" she suggested. "It's still technically mine and it has enough room."

"And then?" I inquired. Lyra smiled, wrapping her arms around my neck.

"Then I think we should start rebuilding that house of yours."

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

It took a few days for me to convince Derek about rebuilding the Hale house. At first he was completely against it, not liking the idea of opening up old doors to the past- or at least that's what he had called it.

I had called it a healing process. I figured since we both had lost so much, it was time to build from the ground up, starting with that house. I convinced him it would be beneficial not only for himself, but for Cora as well. Peter was once again M.I.A.

Eventually, Derek came around and I got Cora on board with the idea. They had packed up everything in the loft one day while I went down to visit everyone to check up on things. My first stop was to the clinic, where I found Deaton tending to some stray kittens.

The emissary greeted me kindly, inviting me into the back room. We talked and he told me about how Scott and him had had a long discussion the other day about all the events that had happened days prior. I smiled when he told me how Scott had said he looks for his friends when he feels that darkness within.

I helped Deaton with giving the kittens their shots before I informed him about my idea of rebuilding the Hale house. Deaton agreed wholeheartedly.

"Even though you might have made peace with your past, Lyra, there does come a time when you will need to look to the future," he told me. "This town might become a beacon again, and once again, we might need to work together to protect those who need protecting."

Afterwards, I went to the high school. I visited Lydia and Allison first, who were eating lunch outside since it was a relatively nice, sunny day. I hung around the school until the bell rang, and then I headed out towards the locker rooms.

Isaac, Stiles and Scott were talking to Ethan, Aiden and Ethan's boyfriend, Danny, as they headed out towards the track to warm up for cross country. Isaac was the first one to spot me and waved. I made my way over them and greeted each of them warmly. I smiled at Danny after Ethan had introduced us.

Before I left, Isaac stopped me to ask how I was doing. It was no secret to any of them with what I did in the loft on that night. None of them, not even Lydia, looked at me like I was a monster anymore. Isaac had explained to me it was because they understood what it meant to sacrifice yourself for someone else, and they knew I had sacrificed so much for all of them. Not wanting to be placed on a pedestal, I had told them I wouldn't hesitate with doing it again.

"I've got your back if you've got mine," I told them.

Isaac hugged me before I left and I smiled at him, affectionately ruffling his brown curls. I walked away, feeling lighter than I had in weeks.

Even though I had lost so much, I had gained a lot in return. I know had a new family, which included Cora and Isaac as well as the rest of them. To me, they were all like siblings to me. Then there was Derek, the one person who chose to let me into his life after so many years of hiding in the dark.

Later that night, I returned to the cottage. I pulled up in front, parking next to Derek's car. When I got out, I studied the small house. It was painted a soft white, and had moss growing along the sides. I could see in through the front windows, one which lead into the kitchen where Cora was cooking something over the stove. The other one lead into the living room, where Derek was reading a book while absently scratching his chin.

I smiled at the sight. Allowing myself a few more moments of me time, I walked into the trees, towards the small stream that was by the house. I stood out there alone for a few minutes, staring at the forest across the stream before tilting my head back to look at the moon. The stars were glittering overhead, shining through the clouds, and I remembered something my mother told me a long time ago.

_"See those stars right over there?" Mom asked, pointing. My six year old self gazed up at the stars, eyes full of wonder._

_"Where, Mommy?" I asked, tugging on her shirt. Dad crouched next to me, pointing until I spotted them. He was holding Abigail, who was barely two, in his arms. _

_"That's the constellation Lyra," he said. I gasped and looked at him._

_"My name's Lyra!" I exclaimed excitedly. Mom picked me up and perched me on her hip. She nuzzled my cheek and I giggled._

_"That's right," she said. "And just remember Lyra, whenever you get scared or whenever you are alone, look at the stars. They will always guide you home."_

I'm not sure if the stars guided me here, but I knew as I looked up at them that they provided me with a sense of safety and comfort. I liked to believe that my parents and my sister were up there now, with the stars that made up the constellation my parents named me after, and were watching over me.

I wondered what they would tell me if they saw me now. I could feel that ever present darkness inside my heart, that darkness that came with killing. I closed my eyes and turned to walk back to the cottage, where Derek and Cora were waiting for me to return.

As I walked into the trees, another line from _The Heart of Darkness_ went through my mind. It was the line Scott had told me about, the line he had learned on his first day of class with Jennifer.

It was almost fitting now, I thought.

_"The offing was barred by a black bank of clouds, and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed somber under an overcast sky—seemed to lead into the heart of an immense darkness."_

Ooo0ooO


	15. The Seclusion

**Author's Note: I have returned, my lovelies! I apologize greatly for the delay, I just moved, then got a new laptop, then had to deal with not having internet for nearly two weeks until I got everything sorted. Thank you for your patience. **

**Here's the new chapter, I hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter Fourteen: The Seclusion

(Derek's POV)

I woke up to the sound of laughter and music playing. Rolling over, I noticed Lyra was no longer in bed with me. The clock on the nightstand read 8:03 A.M. I groaned and rubbed a hand over my eyes.

"Hey, sleepy."

I lifted my hand away to see Lyra standing at the doorway, leaning against the frame with a teasing smile on her face. She was wearing one of my old t-shirts and her hair was tied up in some sort of bun.

"Hey," I replied, throwing back the covers. Lyra walked over to the side of the bed and placed her hands on both of my shoulders. She leaned in and kissed me, her lips tasting faintly of strawberries.

"Cora and I made breakfast," she said, straddling my lap. Her hands played with my hair and I placed my hands on her bare thighs, trailing my fingers upwards.

"You know, there's this great thing called sleeping in," I said, giving her a pointed look. She chuckled and kissed me again. When she pulled back, she nipped my bottom lip, and my hands gripped her hips more firmly.

"Funny guy," Lyra replied, wrinkling her nose at me. Then she untangled herself and stood up, offering me her hand. "Come on, you have to try my French toast. I already got Cora hooked."

Amused, I allowed her to half drag me out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. Cora was sitting at the small kitchen table, eating an impressive pile of food. She gave me a guilty smile and I rolled my eyes at her.

I sat down across from my sister while Lyra pressed a mug of coffee in my hands. I watched her as she moved back to the kitchen counter, changing the radio station. My eyes traced over her, how my shirt bagged over her smaller, athletic frame, how the sun brought out the golden highlights in her honey-blonde hair…

"Seriously, Derek, _try_ these," Cora said, interrupting my thoughts. She handed me a plate with two thick slices of French toast, topped with whipped cream and sliced strawberries. Lyra sat down beside me, holding her own mug, while her lips twitched with laughter.

So I took a bite to appease both of them, before I found my eyes widening slightly. Lyra and Cora burst out laughing at my expression, which I tried to smooth out to save face.

"Told you," Cora said as Lyra winked at me, her eyes smug. I just rolled my eyes again and drank some coffee.

"Well, would you look at us now," Lyra said, leaning back in her chair. "We're just one big happy family."

"Yeah, we're the Brady bunch," Cora retorted, giving Lyra a sideways glance. Lyra stuck out her tongue.

"Don't you have school or something?" she asked, arching her brows.

"Considering we're lying low, I don't think going to school would be a good idea. Besides, it's not like I actually started going back. I was a little distracted by a crazy Druid and an Alpha who wanted my brother's head on a platter."

"Doesn't mean you should stop getting an education," I said, giving Cora a dark look. Cora made a face.

"Well, I got plenty of books upstairs. She can read those until we, you know, come out of hiding," Lyra suggested.

"We're not _hiding_," I muttered, biting into a strawberry.

"Then what exactly _are _we doing?" Lyra asked.

"Lying low," I said, taking Cora's words. "We just need… I don't know, a break after everything that's happened."

"I'm not going to sit around here all day," Lyra replied, standing up to wake over to the sink. She began to rinse out her mug as she gazed outside.

"I still want to check up on everything every now and then," she continued. "Make sure everyone is okay."

"Why? The Alpha pack has gone their separate ways, Jennifer is dead," Cora said, turning in her seat to look at Lyra. I watched as she shrugged.

"I don't know," she murmured. "Just a feeling I got."

Cora left a little while later, making noises about wanting to go for a run in the woods. I waved her off while Lyra went into the other room to change.

Quietly, I went down the hallway and stopped at the doorway. Lyra had her back to me as she removed my shirt, leaving her in a pair of blue boxers. My eyes traced over her smooth, tan skin, over the tattoo riding the left side of her ribs… Without noticing, I began watching her as my eyes turned ice blue. With my heightened vision, I could see each and every scar that was no longer visible to the naked eye. I saw the scars left behind from Kali and the Alphas- the horrible claw marks along her sides and back, and when she turned, I could see the lingering burns Jennifer had given her again and again on her chest and abdomen…

"Derek?"

My eyes turned up and I saw Lyra watching me carefully. She didn't seem fazed that she was bared to my gaze. Her wide blue-violet eyes held mine for a long moment before she lifted a hand. Her lips curved slowly as she motioned with her finger for me to come.

I strode across the room and had her in my arms, gripping her hip with one hand while the other tangled itself in her hair, tilting her head back so I could take her lips. I felt her own hands grip my sides before they slid under my shirt. I pulled back long enough for her to pull it over my head before I grabbed her again and tossed her onto the bed.

Lyra laughed as she bounced, gripping my forearms as I covered her with my body. I kissed her deeply again, trailing my lips down her throat, then down to the valley between her breasts. She gasped and tiled her head back, arching her hips into mine. I growled in response, scraping my teeth along her taut, flat stomach.

"Stop _teasing _me," she hissed, writhing underneath me. She dragged her heels up my legs, pulling me closer to her. I chuckled against her throat, using a claw to rip apart her underwear. She managed to unbutton and yank down my pants before I kicked them away.

Once I slid inside her, Lyra growled with pleasure, her claws digging into my back. I ran my hands down her sides before picking her hips off the bed. I lifted her up until she sank back down on top of me, causing both of us to moan. She rolled her hips desperately, her lips colliding with mine.

Lyra then shoved me back until I fell flat on the bed. She took control quickly, smirking as she rode me. She gripped my shoulders as I ran my hands up her back, in her hair. She leaned back, gripping my thighs, gasping my name as I kneaded my hand on her breast. Her hips jumped when I pinched one of her nipples, and when we climaxed she called out my name again and again.

I rolled her over so we were lying side by side. Her eyes were closed now, but she was smiling. I pushed a strand of hair away from her face, tucking it behind her ear in a now familiar gesture. Finally, her eyes opened, staring into mine. I studied them, noticing how they were a deep blue, with a ring of purple around the pupil. To me, they were beautiful whether they were violet or red. Surrounded by long, brown lashes, they were one of my favorite things about her. I enjoyed her company and her sense of humor, admired her strength and her fierce loyalty, loved her laugh and her smile…

"Having some deep thoughts there?" Lyra asked, snapping me out of my reverie. I blinked and smiled slightly, trying to ignore the strange feeling in my gut about the direction my thoughts had turned.

"Just a few," I replied smoothly. Lyra chuckled, her eyes now glittering with mischief.

"Oh, good, we can't have you having too many of those. You might fry that brain of yours," she teased. I arched a brow at her.

"You think so?" I asked on a growl. Lyra just hummed before rolling over to get out of bed. In a flash, I had her pinned underneath me again, causing her to squeal. I gave her a dirty look before I slid a hand down her side. She squirmed and then yelped as I pinched her ribs.

"Don't you _dare!_" she exclaimed, struggling playfully. I growled again but all of our movements caused us to roll off the bed, where we landed on the ground in a heap. Lyra began laughing and I couldn't help but laugh too.

"Come on, tickle monster," Lyra said, untangling herself from me and the messed up sheets. "Let's go for a walk or something before we tear the house down."

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

Derek and I took my car as we drove into town. I took back streets to avoid anybody we might know. Derek didn't seem too pleased with the idea of me stopping by the high school to check up on everyone.

"Everyone is fine," he insisted. "Why do we have to babysit them?"

I shot him a dirty look. "Because I said so," I retorted sharply.

"Fine," he huffed, crossing his arms. He looked like a child that had just been scolded. I bit my lip to keep it from twitching.

I parked the car near the back road that was near the lacrosse field. I saw the cross country team getting ready to hit the trials by the high school. Even from a distance, I had no trouble spotting Scott, Isaac and Stiles, along with Ethan and Aiden.

"See, they're fine," Derek said, giving me a pointed look. "Can we go now?"

I ignored him for a moment longer. I watched as Isaac shoved Stiles, who went stumbling into Scott, who then shoved him back. I rolled my eyes at their behavior.

"All right," I sighed. "Do you want to go find Cora?"

"Yeah."

A short while later, we had left my car behind at the cottage while we went jogging into the woods. We tracked Cora with relative ease towards the peak that overlooked Beacon Hills. She was sitting on the grass, her arms resting on top of her knees.

"Hey," she greeted us without turning around. I walked over to her side and sat down beside her while Derek flopped down on the grass without much grass. Again I found myself rolling my eyes.

"You and your brother seem to be having a lot of deep thoughts lately," I commented, giving her a sideways glance. Cora shrugged, her eyes focused on the setting sun.

"I'm just wondering where Peter had disappeared to," she said. "I haven't seen him since…you know."

There was a moment of silence, which I wouldn't call awkward as much as _tense_. I knew we had all wondered that at some point over the past two weeks. Every time I thought about it, I got an uneasy feeling in my gut, telling me something wasn't quite right.

"I dunno," I said, blowing the hair out of my eyes. "Maybe he went on a spontaneous vacation or something."

"I doubt Peter would just run off to Bora Bora after everything that happened," Derek replied tonelessly. I rolled my shoulders.

"Peter doesn't strike me as a Bora Bora type," I said easily, trying to ease the tension snapping in the air. Cora stood up, which caused it to break.

"Maybe we should find him, make sure nothing happened," she said. I stood up smoothly, resting a hand on her shoulder. I tried to give her a small smile.

"I'm sure he's fine. Isn't he always?"

"Doesn't anyone else find it weird how Peter disappears right at the same time Jennifer's body does? I mean, what if she survived and has him?" Cora demanded. Derek stood up as well, crossing his arms.

"What do you think we should do?" he asked calmly. I rubbed a hand over my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Guys, will you just relax?" I asked tiredly. "Why do we always have to assume the worse?"

"Because the worse is always around the corner," Cora said, giving me a hard look. I glared at her.

"Jennifer is dead. So is Kali and Ennis. The twins are on our side. Deucalion is gone. Nothing is wrong. Seriously, it's all okay," I insisted.

"Yeah?" Derek asked. I turned to narrow my eyes at his tone.

"Yeah," I snapped. Derek arched his brows at me.

"Nothing at all? Nothing you want to talk about?"

"Let's stop beating around the bush," I said, turning to face Derek. I slid my hands in my back pockets while I stared at him coolly. "What are you insinuating, Derek?"

"Lyra, we know what you did," Cora said quietly from behind me. "We know you killed Kali, and we know the consequences of you doing that." I stiffened, clenching my jaw.

"Yeah, what's your point?"

"Our _point_, Lyra," Derek began, stepping forward. "Is that we know you're not okay. None of this is _okay_."

"I'm fine," I said through gritted teeth. "I've got everything under control."

"Then why do you keep sneaking out almost every night? Why do you take an extra five minutes to be alone whenever you come home from checking on everyone?" Cora asked. I tensed as she rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Lyra, you can tell us," she pleaded gently. I almost ripped away from her grasp. I almost stormed off. I felt my anger surge under my skin, which made the beast within surge as well. Instead of giving in, I looked into Derek's eyes. They stared right back at me, green with a touch of gray. I studied them, tracing the pale amber circle around his pupils until I felt completely in control again.

"Like you said, killing Kali had its consequences," I said, breaking eye contact with Derek. I looked over to the horizon, where the sky was slowly turning an orange-pink color.

"When I killed Kali, all of the power she had harnessed over the years went to me. It had been years since I killed like that… so it wasn't easy feeling all of that power enter your body without wanting more. I felt that insane, primal satisfaction a predator feels from the kill, and I wanted more. God, I wanted more."

"How did you come back?" Cora asked, her tone now soft. I shifted so I could lean against nearby tree, still staring towards the sunset.

"My anchor," I whispered. My gaze shifted towards Derek. "It used to be my sister, but that tie was no longer strong enough to control the monster inside me…the monster I had become. But there was a moment, right after I scared Lydia into screaming, when I was looking into her eyes and I thought…" I lowered my gaze.

"I thought of your eyes," I murmured. "Green eyes."

I heard Derek step closer to me, then felt his fingers brush under my chin, lifting it so my eyes met his. I felt bare in front of his gaze, vulnerable.

"You're not a monster," he said firmly. I pulled away from his touch.

"Don't tell me that just so I feel better," I said, looking at him from under my lashes. "I know what I am, and I know what I have to live with every day for the rest of my life. I know the war going inside my body and you don't. Every time I go see Scott or Stiles or Isaac, I remember that I chose to do what I did to protect them, to protect you. Every time I go off alone, it's to remind myself that I cannot lose control, not even for a second, because I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I hurt any of you. I know what I'm capable of now, and I can't allow myself to fall, I can't allow myself to be weak. If I'm weak, I already lost. And I won't lose more that I already have."

Looking at him one last time, I turned my back towards the sinking sun and walked away into the darkening forest.

Ooo0ooO

(Derek's POV)

I made sure to get Cora back to the cottage before I went after her. Cora and I hadn't said anything about what Lyra had told us, but we shared a quiet understanding that Lyra needed space for a little while.

It had taken months for Lyra to open up to me, or to anyone. Even now, she was still a very private person. I may know what had happened to her in regards to her past, but I never felt like I knew her on a simpler basis. She never told me how she was feeling, except for something like "I'm fine".

I found her by the small stream close to the cottage. I had discovered she went here when she snuck off, and that it was her private space.

_Why won't you share your deep thoughts with me?_ I thought as I looked over at her. She was lying on the grass, staring up at the stars. I walked over to her, pausing just a foot away. She didn't acknowledge me, instead she kept her violet eyes focused intently on the waning moon. I glanced up as well.

"It's funny isn't it? The moon," she said. I looked back down at her.

"It has so much power," she continued. "It controls tides, it controls when we have to shift. It even can take away our power."

I laid down on the grass, stretching out beside her, but making sure not to touch her. I looked up at the sky, studying the moon. I folded my hands over my stomach.

"I've always liked the stars better," Lyra said, her voice softer now. "I like how they form little shapes and patterns in the sky, and how we call them constellations."

Her hand lifted so she could point towards one cluster of stars. I followed her finger and studied what she wanted me to see.

"That's the constellation my parents named me after. Lyra." She chuckled. "You know, I looked it up and it's supposedly associated with the Greek myth of Orpheus, who was a musician that played a lyre, then was killed by some dude named Bacchantes. His lyre was then thrown into a great river, and Zeus had an eagle retrieve it before placing both in the sky."

"Tragic, really," she sighed. I glanced over at her and saw her eyes were thoughtful.

"He died because he had lost his one true love. He even went down to the Underworld to get her back, and played such sad music that Hades agreed to let her return with him, but only if he didn't look at her until they left. He failed though and lost her again. Can you imagine, being that close to getting something you loved so much, only to lose it again?" I reached over and slid my hand along hers, linking our fingers.

"No," I replied quietly. Finally, Lyra looked over at me and smiled, even though her gaze was sad now.

We stared at each other for a long time, holding hands. Eventually, Lyra broke the eye contact to look back towards the sky, but I kept watching her. Then she smiled.

"You're staring."

"You're beautiful."

"Oh _God_, can you be any more cheesy?" Lyra teased, rolling over until she was pressed against my side. Her hands rested on my chest and she smiled once more.

"I mean it," I said, reaching up to run my fingers down her soft cheek. Lyra just blinked at me and even though it was dark, I felt the blood rush to her cheeks.

"Are you blushing?" I asked, grinning. Lyra shoved at me and grinned back.

"Way to kill the mood," she retorted.

"I think you were the one that killed it by calling me cheesy," I shot back. Lyra stuck her tongue out at me before she leaned in and brushed her lips across mine.

"I like you and your cheesiness," she murmured against my lips. "It's sweet."

"Yeah, that's me. Cheesy and sweet," I said blandly. Lyra laughed.

"Yum," she said before kissing me again. She shifted back so she could rest her chin on my chest. I played with her hair as her eyes drifted half closed.

"Lyra?"

"Hmm?"

"What's your favorite color?" Lyra's eyes opened completely as her lips curved.

"Currently, it's been green," she replied. I grinned.

"But it's really blue." She laughed at me as my grin shifted to a pout.

"Mood killer," I huffed, tugging playfully on her hair. Lyra looked at me with an amused expression.

"What about you?" she asked. "No wait- let me guess. Black." I tugged her hair again.

"Second favorite. It might surprise you I like blue too," I said. Lyra widened her eyes in mock surprise.

"We have something in common? No way," she breathed. I mirrored her expression.

"Shocking."

"Impossible."

We grinned at each other again. She then patted her hand against my chest before rising to her feet. I stood up and she surprised me by wrapping her arms around my waist. I placed my arms around her, brows furrowed.

"Thank you," she said simply.

"For what?" I asked. Lyra pulled back and looked at me.

"For staying with me," she said softly. I raised my hand to her face again, touched her cheek. I wanted to say something funny, something to make her smile again, but I saw that open look in her eyes again, the same look she had given me earlier.

Instead, the right words found me for the first time in my life.

"You're my anchor," I whispered.

Instead of replying, Lyra wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pulled me down to her level. I kissed her gently, before gathering her in my arms. I carried her back to the cottage.

Ooo0ooO

(Lyra's POV)

A few more days passed. I kept Cora company when she would sit alone to read. Sometimes we would go on drives together along the highways curving through the woods. Other times she would tag along as I checked on everyone at the high school.

Derek busied himself with getting his house back from the county. He would leave for chunks of the day to take care of the necessary paperwork and legal stuff, all of which didn't really hold my attention. It was when he got it back, my interest piqued.

We started out slow, first just clearing the surrounding yard. We worked our way to the inside, clearing out broken and burnt pieces of wood that was scattered throughout the house. Derek began making noises about getting some help to start taking down the walls and getting down to the bones of the building.

When I suggested the boys, he shut me down. He shut me down again when I suggested calling Peter, his feathers clearly ruffled at his uncle's sudden decision to skip town or whatever. So Cora and I helped him, every day starting from dawn until the early evening.

Derek avoided the upstairs area when we got down to business. He barely even glanced at the stairs, and I knew it was because the bedrooms were up there. I understood it would take time to work through the layers of memories this house held, but I felt encouraged every time he would look at me, and smile.

I began thinking of my home in Colorado. I wondered if the rest of the Alphas had burnt it down after I had run away, or if it was still standing today.

Thinking of my own home filled me with a strong sadness and sense of grief. I hadn't been back for years. I had only gone once after the funeral that had been held for my parents and for my sister, a funeral I had only watched from a distance before I left. I didn't even leave flowers on the graves.

"Lyra?"

I looked up at Derek when he said my name and blinked. I realized I had been standing holding a hammer without swinging it for nearly five minutes.

"Uh, sorry. Lost in thought," I said, giving the hammer a twirl.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm-," I paused when I saw his eyes narrow at me. "I was just thinking of my home. You know, back in Colorado. Miss it is all."

Derek stepped forward and pulled me against me, his arms warm and tight around me. I held him close and released a long breath, resting my cheek against his chest. I let myself be soothed by the sound of his heartbeat.

"Have you ever thought of going back?"

"No," I admitted quietly. "Too many memories. Too much pain."

"You don't think being here is painful for me?" I pulled back, shaking my head.

"No, Derek, I didn't mean-,"

"Lyra. You wanted me to have some sort of closure by coming back here. What did you call it? A healing process. Maybe you need to start your own." I considered his words for a long moment before nodding slightly.

"You're right," I admitted, looking at him. "It's been too long since I've really been home."

Derek ran a hand down my hair before brushing his finger along the bottom of my chin.

"When you're ready, I'll go with you," he said.

"So will I."

We turned to see Cora standing at the doorway leading towards the staircase. Her brown eyes held mine steadily, firmly.

"If you're going to do this, you're definitely not going to do this alone," she said, moving forward to take my hand. When she squeezed, I squeezed back, struggling not to let tears fill my eyes.

"Okay," I said, looking at her, then Derek. "Okay."

Ooo0ooO

**Author's Note: What did you think? DO you guys want Lyra to return to her childhood home? Let me know! **


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